elind 


ia 


I  i'.i     .'  r;  ,;- 


LIBRARY  OF 

ELIZABETH  FERRIS 


»•»**»»» 


T  h  e  w  ay 

of 

Belinda 


BY 

Frances   Weston    Carruth 

Author  of 
"Those    Dale    Girls" 


New  York 

Doddy  Mead    &    Company 
1901 


Copyright,  1901, 
By  DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY. 


"  Wise  choice  to  you,  Belinda !     Man's  no  easy  thing  to 

measure, 

For  now  and  then  he  justifies  the  shape  he's  moulded  in ; 
And  then,  again,  he  doesn't ;  still,  an  able  woman's  leisure 
May  find  worse  use  than  steering  him,  and  helping  him 
to  win." 

E.  S.  MARTIN. 


2227S14 


TO   MY   MOTHER 
IN    APPRECIATION 


THE  WAY   OF   BELINDA 

CHAPTER    I. 

"  Time  and  chance  are  but  a  tide." 

BURNS. 

WITH  hands  deep  in  pockets  and  hat  pulled 
well  down  over  his  eyes,  Jerry  Blake,  reporter, 
came  swinging  up  Rivington  Street  late  one 
winter  afternoon,  wishing  something  would 
happen.  He  had  been  over  to  the  East  River  on 
an  assignment  connected  with  a  supposed  murder 
case,  which  had  turned  out  to  be  no  murder,  but 
merely  a  drunken  brawl,  the  like  of  which  was 
so  common  in  that  quarter  as  to  have  no  story 
in  it.  And  he  wanted  a  story,  a  rattling  good 
story  to  take  back  to  his  chief  when  he  returned 
to  the  office  and  reported  on  this  assignment. 
:  Rivington  Street  seemed  to  him  exasperatingly 
commonplace  as  he  came  along.  A  snow-storm 
and  the  gathering  darkness  combined  to  soften 


2          The  Way  of  Belinda 

the  aspect  of  the  buildings,  which  formed  a 
sombre  background  for  the  street  alive  with 
shouting,  clamorous  children,  playing  in  dirty 
snow  piled  high  from  the  storm  of  two  days 
previous.  Few  people  passed.  It  was  yet  too 
early  for  the  great  outpouring  from  shops  and 
factories,  but  an  occasional  long-bearded  patri- 
archical  Hebrew,  carrying  a  heavy  burden  of 
men's  clothing  over  one  arm,  lent  an  air  of  pictu- 
resqueness  to  the  scene.  In  the  street,  carts, 
pushed  by  Yiddish  vendors,  picked  their  way  in 
and  out  among  the  children  and  took  up  such 
advantageous  places  along  the  sidewalk  as  had 
not  already  been  secured  by  their  rivals.  Children 
rich  in  the  possession  of  a  penny  stopped  play 
long  enough  to  purchase  wofully  sticky  candy, 
a  banana  or  an  apple  much  the  worse  for  age, 
while  every  few  blocks  a  group  of  ragged  urchins 
shivered  round  a  small  bonfire  built  without  fear 
of  the  police,  who  in  that  district  shut  their  eyes 
to  much  it  is  convenient  not  to  see. 

Blake  observed  these  things,  but  they  did  not 
interest  him — he  had  seen  them  so  many  times 
before.  Suddenly  his  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  sight  of  three  boys  sneaking  round  the  end 
of  a  push-cart,  grabbing  handfuls  of  fruit  so 
decayed  that  it  squashed  in  their  fingers  as  they 


The  Way  of  Belinda          3 

ran,  while  the  vendor,  unconscious  of  being 
robbed,  was  crying  out  the  merits  of  his  extra-fine 
fruit  at  bargain  prices.  Blake  watched  the  boys 
gather  farther  down  in  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  hurl  an  occasional  apple,  dipped  in  snow,  at 
a  passer-by.  Watchful  lest  he  fall  a  victim  him- 
self, he  had  about  decided  to  attempt  the  fun  of 
collaring  the  youngsters  when  he  saw  emerge 
from  a  low  frame  house  some  yards  ahead 
a  young  woman  leading  a  little  child.  The 
next  instant  a  volley  of  decayed  fruit  struck 
them,  frightening  the  child  so  that  she  slipped  and 
fell. 

The  young  woman  sprang  toward  the  boys, 
her  eyes  blazing.  "  How  dare  you !  "  she  cried, 
"  how  dare  you,  you  cowards,  to  strike  a  child !  " 

Capering  with  delight,  the  ringleader  jumped 
beyond  reach,  took  off  his  cap  in  mock  obeisance, 
and  with  superb  insolence  threw  kisses  to  her. 
The  next  moment  he  howled  with  pain  as  some 
one  sprang  at  him  from  behind,  clutching  him 
with  a  ferocious  grip. 

The  other  boys  fled. 

"  You  young  hound,"  cried  Blake,  nearly 
shaking  the  life  out  of  him,  "  I'll  teach  you  to 
insult  ladies  with  your  dirty  tricks !  "  Holding 
him  by  the  nape  of  the  neck,  he  leaped  from  street 


4          The  Way  of  Belinda 

to  sidewalk,  where  the  girl  was  gathering  the 
child  up  in  her  arms. 

"  Are  you  hurt  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly,  "  or  the 
child  ?  May  I — will  you  allow  me  to  be  of  assist- 
ance ?  "  In  his  interest  in  the  girl  his  hold  on 
the  culprit  relaxed.  By  a  frantic  jerk  the  boy 
freed  himself,  and  with  an  exultant  yell  raced 
madly  down  the  street.  A  muttered  imprecation 
escaped  the  man,  now  riveting  his  attention  on 
the  girl  beside  him. 

"  I  am  not  hurt,"  she  was  saying,  trembling 
with  the  indignity  to  which  she  had  been  sub- 
jected, and  so  startled  out  of  her  usual  composure 
that  she  was  scarcely  conscious  she  was  talking 
to  a  stranger ;  "  but  I  think  the  child  is — or 
frightened,  perhaps  both.  Don't  cry,  '  Lady 
Redbreast,'  "  to  the  little  girl,  who  was  sobbing 
on  her  shoulder ;  "  you're  all  right.  I'll  carry  you 
home."  Then  to  the  man,  "  She  is  lame.  Can 
you  tell  me  how  to  get  to  Orchard  Street?" 

"  Let  me  carry  her  there  for  you,"  he 
said  impulsively ;  "I  know  the  tenement,  it 
is  not  ten  minutes'  walk.  It  will  be  no  trouble  at 
all." 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said  simply,  "  I  shall  be 
really  glad  if  you  will."  She  shifted  the  child 
to  him,  and  Blake  took  her  clumsily  with  a  curi- 


The  Way  of  Belinda          5 

ous  thrill  as  the  little  arms  tightened  about  his 
neck. 

"  Youse  come,  too,"  between  her  sobs,  said 
"  Lady  Redbreast"  to  the  girl. 

Together  the  three  went  down  the  street,  snow 
swirling  about  them,  the  wind  now  and  then 
nearly  lifting  the  girl  from  her  feet.  Relieved 
of  the  child,  she  was  suddenly  conscious  that  she 
was  covered  with  fruit  stains  from  head  to  foot. 
A  hot  flush  of  rage  swept  over  her.  Instinctively 
she  put  her  hand  to  her  head,  to  find  her  hat 
had  been  knocked  well  off  her  fluffy  hair.  She 
straightened  it  and  pushed  on  through  the  storm, 
angry  that  she  should  have  suffered  such  indigni- 
ties, c 

,,  Near  the  door  of  —  Orchard  Street  a  girl  of 
ten  pounced  upon  them.  "  Oh,  Miss  Leigh !  " 
she  exclaimed,  "  youse  must  be  put  out  havin'  to 
get  a  gentleman  to  bring  Janie  from  the  kinder- 
garten club.  I  didn't  know  as  how  it  was  stormin' 
or  I'd  a  bin  before." 

"  I  thought  you'd  forgotten  her,  Susie.  She 
was  the  only  one  to-day." 

Susie  led  the  way  into  the  tenement. 

"  Shall  I  carry  her  upstairs  ?  "  Blake  asked  the 
girl  at  his  side. 

"  Oh,    no,    miss — sir,    I    mean" — said    Susie, 


6          The  Way  of  Belinda 

answering  instead ;  "  she  mos  allus  walks.  There 
ain't  nothin'  the  matter  with  you,  is  there, 
Janie  ? "  looking  with  sudden  suspicion  at  the 
little  girl. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  ain't  hurted ;  I  fell 
down,  but  I  ain't  hurted.  I  '  tucked  my  head 
under  my  wing,  poor  thing,'  like  the  robin  we 
wus  singin'  'bout,"  looking  shyly  up  at  the  young 
woman  beside  her. 

"  What  a  clever  little  girl.  You're  a  robin 
yourself,  '  Lady  Redbreast,'  you  know  I  told  you 
so.  You  must  go  up  now  with  Susie  and  keep 
yourself  warm,  like  the  other  robins." 

"  Ain't  a  real  robin.  I  seed  one  onct,"  she 
volunteered,  "  up  to  Miss  Helen  Gould's — they 
wus  hoppin'  round  on  the  grass." 

"  How  splendid !  "  remembering  as  she  started 
her  upstairs  to  have  heard  that  this  deformed 
mite  had  been  sent  the  previous  spring  from  the 
hospital  to  the  home  for  convalescent  children 
which  Miss  Gould  had  opened  on  the  Hudson. 
"  And  now  they're  all  sitting  in  the  barn,  waiting 
for  summer  to  come  again." 

"  Ain't  a  real  robin,"  the  child  said  again  with 
an  evident  desire  to  be  contradicted. 

"  You're  my  real  robin,  *  Lady  Redbreast/ ' 
said  the  girl ;  and,  stooping,  kissed  her. 


The  Way  of  Belinda          7 

Susie  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  they  vanished 
up  the  stairway. 

Partly  because  of  the  man  and  partly  because 
of  the  unusualness  of  the  situation,  a  sudden 
embarrassment  seized  the  girl.  "  I  must  be  a 
perfect  fright !  "  she  exclaimed  self-consciously, 
at  the  same  time  making  little  dabs  at  the  stains 
on  her  gown  with  a  diminutive  handkerchief. 
This  feminine  appeal  affected  him  queerly,  and 
he  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  comfort  her  with 
the  assurance  that  the  spots  did  not  show,  but  as 
quickly  realized  the  remark  would  be  idiotic  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  they  were  so  conspicuous; 
and,  moreover,  he  had  no  right  to  take  advantage 
of  the  situation.  "  You're  pretty  well  covered 
with  snow,"  was  what  he  said. 

She  nodded  and  turned  to  go  out,  but  as  she 
reached  the  door  was  blown  sharply  against  him. 

He  put  out  his  hands  to  steady  her,  and  then 
said,  "  If  you  are  going  uptown,  you  will  let  me 
walk  with  you  to  the  car,  will  you  not?  The 
storm  is  increasing,"  in  a  matter-of-fact  tone, 
quite  as  if  taking  stray  damsels  under  his  protec- 
tion were  the  business  of  his  life. 

She,  alarmed  at  finding  herself  out  so  late, 
alone  in  such  a  quarter  of  the  town,  acquiesced 
with  sudden  shyness. 


8          The  Way  of  Belinda 

No  further  word  was  spoken  between  them, 
but  she  more  than  once  was  conscious  of  his 
protection,  the  skilful  manner  in  which  he  guided 
her,  warding  off  first  this  person  and  then  that, 
so  that  in  all  that  storm-driven  crowd  now 
hurrying  home  from  work  none  brushed  against 
her.  When  they  reached  the  corner  of  the 
Bowery  and  stood  for  a  moment  under  the  full 
glare  of  the  electric  light,  they  for  the  first  time 
saw  each  other  face  to  face.  A  quick  look  of 
recognition  crossed  the  man's.  Over  hers  fleeted 
varying  expressions  in  which  gratitude  and 
embarrassment  were  intermingled.  She  looked 
up  at  him,  and  began  to  speak: 

"  I  am  so— oh,  there's  my  car !  "  was  all  she 
said. 

She  darted  into  the  street,  he  beside  her.  The 
car  stopped,  and  she  was  forced  to  stand  aside 
while  several  passengers  alighted.  Slipping  her 
hand  out  of  her  muff,  she  held  it  out  shyly. 
"  Thank  you,"  she  began  with  pretty  confusion, 
and  stopped.  She  had  meant  to  say  more,  but 
speech  forsook  her.  Perhaps  the  man  under- 
stood, for  his  face  lighted  as  he  took  her  hand 
in  a  hearty  clasp.  "  Thank  you,"  he  replied, 
lifting  his  hat,  and  the  next  instant  she  was  gone. 

Conflicting  thoughts  chased  through  Blake's 


The  Way  of  Belinda          9 

mind  as  he  boarded  the  downtown  car  for  Park 
Row.  From  the  instant  he  had  seen  the  urchins 
stealing  rotten  fruit  on  Rivington  Street  to  the 
moment  they  had  attacked  the  girl  and  child  on 
the  doorsteps  his  mind  had  leaped  to  the  belief 
that  at  last  something  was  happening.  While 
capturing  the  boy,  while  proffering  his  assistance 
to  the  girl,  no  detail  of  the  situation  had  escaped 
him.  He  had  pushed  his  way  into  the  thick  of  it 
with  a  genuine  desire  to  help,  but  all  the  while 
his  newspaper  instinct  had  been  keenly  alive  to 
the  possibilities  of  a  story.  No  sooner  had  he 
found  them  unharmed,  however,  than  it  had  been 
manifestly  clear  that,  from  a  newspaper  point  of 
view,  there  was  nothing  in  it  for  him.  This  had 
not  prevented  his  seeing  the  thing  through,  but 
all  the  way  along  he  had  inwardly  raged  at  the 
commonplace  ending  to  what  promised  to  be 
a  mighty  good  story  if  only  the  attack  had 
resulted  in  some  striking  incident — say  a  broken 
leg  or  arm  or  some  serious  injury  like  that.  As 
it  was,  it  had  turned  out  an  incident,  annoying 
to  her,  no  doubt;  to  him  merely  an  episode. 
When  at  the  corner  of  the  Bowery  he  had  had 
his  first  distinct  look  at  her  face  and  recognized 
her  as  a  certain  Miss  Leigh,  whose  name  figured 
in  the  society  papers  as  conspicuous  in  a  fashion- 


io        The  Way  of  Belinda 

able  set,  more  than  ever  had  he  felt  defrauded. 
There  were  reporters,  of  course,  who,  taking 
what  material  there  was,  would  work  up  a  sensa- 
tional story,  with  pictures  and  big  head-lines,  but 
his  paper  was  not  of  saffron  hue. 

Yet  now,  as  he  stood  on  the  rear  platform  of 
the  car,  he  found  himself  savagely  wishing  the 
girl  had,  at  least,  been  knocked  unconscious,  in 
which  case,  in  view  of  her  social  prominence,  the 
surroundings,  and  the  unusual  nature  of  the 
attack,  all  combined  would  have  been  good  for 
half  a  column,  perhaps  more,  in  his  best  writing. 

With  aggravating  clearness  he  could  see  its 
pictorial  possibilities.  The  low,  frame  house,  the 
girl  emerging,  an  indefinable  air  of  elegance 
about  her,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  tenement  mite 
at  her  side.  Below  her,  the  moving  panorama 
of  the  sidewalk;  beyond,  the  street  alive  with 
romping  children;  to  one  side,  the  group  of  mis- 
chievous urchins.  Then  the  attack,  his  proffer 
of  assistance,  the  girl's  evident  unfamiliarity 
with  her  surroundings,  the  walk  to  the  tenement 
and  to  the  car,  the  darkness  closing  in,  the  snow 
swirling  round  them.  Gad!  in  the  handling  of 
the  girl  what  a  chance  for  delicacy  of  treatment 
— how  it  appealed  to  his  imagination! 

All  this  chased  fantastically  through  the  man's 


The  Way  of  Belinda        1 1 

mind  until  suddenly  into  these  journalistic  flights 
whirled  the  personality  of  the  girl  herself.  With 
a  start  he  found  himself  viewing  her  from  a  new 
standpoint.  She  was  no  longer  mere  possible 
"  copy,"  but  a  girl,  young,  unprotected,  appealing. 
In  vivid  flashes  she  stood  before  him  in  a  series 
of  pictures  woven  of  the  mind,  but  colored  by  the 
heart,  though  Blake  himself  would  have  been  the 
last  to  acknowledge  it.  He  saw  her,  strong, 
defiant,  bravely  facing  the  boys  with  righteous 
wrath;  the  tender  womanliness  toward  the  little 
child,  for  whom  she  was  so  solicitous  that  she 
gave  no  thought  to  her  own  annoyance  and 
plight.  He  heard  her  voice ;  glowed  in  the  recol- 
lection of  the  confidence  implied  in  her  frank 
acceptance  of  his  assistance.  Felt  the  tight  clasp 
of  the  child's  arms  about  his  neck;  remembered 
the  girl's  embarrassment  over  her  gown,  her 
shyness  under  the  electric  light,  and  at  the  car 
the  sweet,  impulsive  way  she  had  put  out  her 
hand  to  thank  him  as  she  said  good-by.  She  had 
trusted  him,  a  complete  stranger,  as  not  one  girl 
in  a  thousand  would  have  done,  and  he  had  had 
the  impudence  to  allow  his  mind  to  weave  repor- 
torial  pictures  of  her  and  to  rail  against  circum- 
stances that  had  brought  no  injury  upon  her  to 
serve  his  selfish  and  cold-blooded  ends! 


1 2        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Of  Blake  the  reporter,  a  wave  of  disgust  swept 
over  Blake  the  man.  Following  this,  the  swift 
realization  that  the  man  was  still  uppermost  filled 
him  with  a  satisfaction  hard  to  define.  Then  his 
training  reasserted  itself,  and  the  car  having 
reached  its  terminus,  Blake  the  reporter  swung 
off  the  rear  platform  and  hurried  down  the  street, 
office  bound. 


CHAPTER   II. 

"Tis  with  our  judgments  as  our  watches,  none 
Go  just  alike,  yet  each  believes  his  own." 

POPE. 

IN  her  apartment  in  a  fashionable  hotel  on 
Fifth  Avenue  sat  Madame  Ronalds,  turning  the 
pages  of  a  magazine,  reading  never  a  word. 
Engrossed  was  her  mind  and  greatly  perturbed 
by  the  non-appearance  of  her  granddaughter, 
Belinda  Leigh,  who  had  refused  to  make  the 
usual  round  of  calls  that  afternoon  and  had 
insisted  upon  going  down  on  some  crazy  expedi- 
tion to  that  impossible  section  of  the  town  known 
as  the  East  Side.  To  Madame  Ronalds  the 
unknown  was  always  "  impossible ;"  moreover, 
she  highly  disapproved  of  Belinda's  interest  in 
philanthropic  or  other  interests  outside  the  con- 
ventional beaten  track  which  she  herself  unswerv- 
ingly followed. 

Since  the  day  when  first  she  began  to  talk, 
Belinda  had  been  to  Madame  Ronalds  an  enigma. 


14       The  Way  of  Belinda 

Just  why  her  granddaughter  could  not  have  been 
comfortably  patterned  along  her  own  lines  was 
a  matter  over  which  she  pondered.  Much  specula- 
tion, however,  left  her  at  the  end  of  Belinda's 
twentieth  year  no  nearer  a  solution  of  their 
diverse  natures  and  with  no  clearer  comprehen- 
sion of  Belinda's  vagaries  than  on  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  morning  when  Ethel  Ronalds 
Leigh,  slipping  out  of  life,  had  left  to  her  mother 
the  week-old  baby  as  a  legacy.  She  was  never 
like  other  babies,  so,  to  her  consternation,  Madame 
Ronalds  found;  a  discovery  which  led  her  to 
regard  the  child  as  an  uncanny  imp  to  be  avoided 
as  much  as  possible.  All  the  elfishness  which 
looked  out  from  her  big,  inquiring  gray  eyes  and 
twisted  her  baby  locks  into  refractory  curls  over 
her  tiny  head  was  attributed  to  her  father — poet, 
scholar,  idealist,  reformer,  all  things  unworldly 
— who,  in  the  face  of  Madame  Ronalds's  opposi- 
tion, dared  to  marry  her  Ethel,  only  to  die  before 
his  baby  girl  saw  light.  It  was  his  voice,  low, 
dominant,  echoing  with  startling  distinctness 
through  the  child's;  his  mind  wrought  into  hers 
that  led  her  from  the  days  of  infantine  prattle 
to  question  the  workings  of  the  universe.  "  Why" 
had  been  the  keynote  of  Belinda's  life.  Not  the 
why  of  mere  curiosity,  but  the  deeper  yearning 


The  Way  of  Belinda        15 

of  her  nature  to  know  the  truth  of  all  things. 
And,  it  must  be  confessed,  she  was  not  in  the 
way  of  having  these  yearnings  satisfied  through 
intercourse  with  her  grandmother.  Nevertheless, 
though  inwardly  they  were  singularly  remote, 
outwardly  their  relations  were  more  cordial  than 
might  have  been  expected,  a  fact  largely  due  to 
the  sunniness  of  Belinda's  disposition — a  sunni- 
ness  which  pervaded  her  personality  in  spite  of 
a  pronounced  tendency  to  self-analysis  and 
introspection. 

As  the  moments  sped  on,  and  still  the  girl  did 
not  come,  Madame  Ronalds  was  thinking  that 
she  had  in  a  measure  brought  this  anxiety  upon 
herself  by  allowing  Belinda  to  go  about  the  town 
alone.  Belinda's  mother  up  to  the  day  of  her 
marriage  had  never  left  her  mother's  sight  with- 
out a  maid  or  other  suitable  protector;  but 
Belinda,  full  grown  at  seventeen,  had  rebelled 
and  claimed  such  liberty  as  came  from  the  free- 
dom to  go  about  unattended.  It  was  not  the 
girl's  pleading,  but  motives  of  economy,  which 
had  led  Madame  Ronalds  to  consent  to  this 
innovation. 

Economy,  indeed,  for  fifteen  years  past  had 
been  the  pivot  on  which  Madame  Ronalds's  life 
swung.  Owing  to  a  series  of  unprofitable  invest- 


1 6        The  Way  of  Belinda 

ments,  she  had  been  forced  to  study  it  from  every 
standpoint,  and  thereby  had  reduced  it  to  such 
a  science  that,  on  a  ludicrously  small  income  she 
continued  to  live  in  one  of  the  small  but  most 
expensive  hotels  in  the  Avenue,  which  for  eighteen 
years  had  been  her  home,  while  she  held  her  own 
in  the  fashionable  and  exclusive  society  in  which 
she  had  been  born  and  bred.  To  have  launched 
Belinda  as  successfully  as  she  had  the  previous 
season  was,  under  the  circumstances,  itself  an 
achievement  worthy  a  strategist,  and  none  knew 
this  so  well  as  the  astute  Madame  herself.  The 
debutante's  frock  had  come  straight  from  Paris; 
the  reception  in  the  ballroom  of  the  hotel  was 
perfect  in  every  detail;  all  was  characterized  by 
that  rich  simplicity  supposed  to  be  attained  only 
by  possessors  of  unlimited  wealth.  Just  how  all 
this  had  been  accomplished  only  Madame  and 
possibly  the  manager  of  the  hotel  and  possibly 
the  modiste  knew.  Certainly,  society  did  not, 
nor  even  Belinda,  who  was  most  concerned. 

The  overweening  desire  of  Madame  Ronalds's 
life  was  that  Belinda  should  make  a  brilliant 
marriage.  Her  daughter  had  wofully  disap- 
pointed her,  Belinda  should  not.  The  girl  had 
received  several  excellent  offers  during  her  first 
season,  but  was  singularly  indifferent  to  her 


The  Way  of  Belinda        17 

opportunities.  This,  thought  her  grandmother, 
was  only  natural  coquetry,  but  now  she  deter- 
mined that  Belinda  should  marry  before  the  end 
of  her  second  season;  indeed,  from  a  financial 
standpoint  it  was  imperative,  and  who  could  be 
more  eligible  than  Dan  Denbeigh? 

With  the  possibilities  of  this  alliance  with  the 
son  of  a  millionaire  Madame  Ronalds  was  play- 
ing when  Belinda  burst  into  the  room. 

"  I've  been  greatly  alarmed  about  you ! " 
exclaimed  her  grandmother,  "  and  why  are  you 
so  late?"  scrutinizing  her  sharply.  "Your 
clothes  are  in  a  shocking  condition!  Were  you 
exposed  to  the  storm  ?  You  look  thoroughly  wet 
through." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  girl,  "  I  had  no  umbrella, 
and  the  storm  is  fearful." 

"  You  should  have  taken  a  cab.  It  is  absurd, 
dangerous  to  expose  yourself  like  this." 

"  It  won't  do  me  any  harm,  Nana,"  replied  the 
girl,  passing  into  the  adjoining  bedroom  to 
remove  her  wet  clothes. 

Her  grandmother  followed  her. 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"  Down  at  Miss  Lovering's.  Don't  you  re- 
member I  told  you  I  was  going,  Nana?  I  would 
have  been  back  long  ago  but  for  the  storm  and 


1 8        The  Way  of  Belinda 

— an  accident.  Only  one  of  the  children  came 
and—" 

"  Don't  tell  me  anything  about  those  tiresome 
children,"  interrupted  her  grandmother.  "  They 
do  not  interest  me  in  the  least,  and  your  wilful 
persistence  in  going  down  to  such  impossible 
places  annoys  me,  as  you  know,  inexpressibly. 
Miss  Lovering — " 

"  I  love  her  dearly/'  challenged  the  girl,  at 
once  on  the  defensive. 

"  Miss  Lovering  is  responsible  for — " 

"  You  used  to  like  her,"  interrupted  Belinda. 

"  As  a  governess  she  was  exceptional — your 
education  proves  it — but  from  the  moment  she 
inherited  a  little  money  she  lost  her  wits.  Instead 
of  settling  down  on  her  income  and  living  like 
a  lady,  she  must  needs  go  down  into  the  slums, 
take  a  ramshackle  old  house,  and  waste  all  her 
time,  strength,  and  money  over  a  lot  of  perfectly 
worthless  foreigners  who,  I  don't  doubt,  would 
much  prefer  to  be  let  alone." 

"  Oh,  Nana,"  the  girl  protested,  "it  had  always 
been  the  dream  of  her  life  to  live  and  work  among 
the  poor.  If  only  you  knew  how  much  good  she 
does  and  how  happy  she  is !  " 

"  She  was  very  careful  never  to  express  any 
such  Quixotic  views  before  me,"  remarked  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda        19 

woman ;  "  but  as  I  was  about  to  remark  when 
you  rudely  interrupted  me,  she  is  undeniably 
responsible  for  much  of  this  tiresome  nonsense 
which  is  coming  out  in  you,  and  I  should  be  glad 
if  you'd  see  no  more  of  her."  She  was  watching 
the  girl  shake  out  her  skirt  and  hang  it  near  the 
radiator  to  dry.  "  What  is  the  matter  with  your 
gown  ?  "  she  asked ;  "  it  looks  as  if  it  had  been 
spattered  with  something." 

"  It  was.  Oh,  Nana,  such  a  fright  as  I  had !  " 
began  the  girl  impulsively. 

"  Spare  me  the  details,  my  dear,"  broke  in  the 
woman ;  "  further  talk  about  this  afternoon's 
expedition  is  distasteful.  I  suppose  you  remem- 
ber you're  dining  to-night  at  half  after  eight  at 
the  Denbeighs'  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  responded  the  girl,  wishing  she  didn't 
have  to  go. 

"  Dan  will,  no  doubt,  take  you  in  to  dinner," 
continued  the  woman. 

"  It  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  course  at  the 
Denbeighs',"  commented  the  girl  indifferently. 

"  It  is  his  mother's  tacit  acknowledgment  that 
the  affair  has  her  sanction.  The  sooner  you 
marry  him,  Belinda,  the  better." 

"  He  hasn't  asked  me  for  a  week,"  she  re- 
marked flippantly. 


2o        The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Belinda,  you  try  me  beyond  endurance !  " 

"  There,  there,  Nana,  don't  scold,"  she  pleaded ; 
"  I  do  want  to  please  you,  truly  I  do ;  but  I  don't 
want  to  marry  yet,"  with  a  wistful  smile. 

Madame  Ronalds  shrugged  her  shoulders 
impatiently.  "  All  girls  say  that,"  was  her  re- 
joinder. "  You  know  my  wishes  in  regard  to 
Dan,  and  they  coincide  with  those  of  his  people 
and  with  his  own.  You  have  no  money,  Belinda, 
and  I  little — less  than  you  imagine.  I  have 
sacrificed  everything  to  your  social  success,  and 
as  a  result  you're  one  of  the  most  attractive, 
well-set-up  girls  in  your  set ;  and  Dan  Denbeigh, 
one  of  the  most  eligible  partis  in  society  to-day, 
is  in  love  with  you." 

"  But  I  don't  love  him,"  protested  the  girl,  who 
felt  like  a  bird  imprisoned  in  the  hand  and  about 
to  be  thrust  into  a  golden  cage. 

"  That  does  not  signify,  you  will  learn  to  love 
him.  It  is  much  more  to  the  point  just  now  that 
he  loves  you,"  argued  her  worldly  mentor. 

"  You  make  it  all  so  sordid,  Nana,"  with  a  little 
shudder. 

"  Nonsense,  Belinda,  you're  too  much  inclined 
to  be  opinionated.  If  you  were  a  woman  with 
my  experience  of  life,  instead  of  a  child,  you 
would  know  I  have  your  welfare  at  heart  and 


The  Way  of  Belinda       2 1 

am  talking  sound  common-sense."  Then  in  her 
most  autocratic  manner  she  added,  "  What  I 
consider  best  for  you,  Belinda,  is  not  a  matter 
I  allow  even  you  to  question;"  and  with  this 
finality  she  left  the  room. 

In  five  minutes  she  returned  with  a  cup  of  hot 
bouillon  and  some  biscuit.  "  Take  these,"  she 
said  pleasantly,  "  and  lie  down  for  fifteen  minutes. 
I'll  come  and  call  you  when  it  is  time  to  dress." 

It  was  part  of  Madame  Ronalds's  creed  that 
Belinda  should  be  nourished  with  warm  drinks 
and  put  to  bed  as  often  as  possible  between  her 
goings  out  and  comings  in.  Thus  systematically 
seizing  every  opportunity  to  rest,  the  girl  was 
kept  radiantly  fresh  in  spite  of  late  hours  and  the 
relentless  demands  of  fashionable  life.  Vigorous 
Belinda  during  her  first  season  had  thought  this 
coddling  foolish,  and  frequently  rebelled ;  but  she 
had  learned  the  wisdom  of  it,  and  was  now  really 
dependent  on  the  brief  rest  snatched  in  this  way. 
In  lieu  of  a  maid,  Madame  Ronalds  waited  on  her. 
This  fact,  like  many  another,  was  carefully 
guarded  from  their  world,  which,  seeing  Belinda 
at  balls  and  dinners  with  her  own  maid  in  attend- 
ance, remained  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  this 
accessory  was  one  of  the  hotel  servants  permitted 
by  the  courtesy  of  the  manager  to  be  at  Madame 


22        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Ronalds's   disposal   when   her   day's   work   was 
done. 

Belinda,  having  drunk  the  bouillon,  threw 
herself  on  the  couch,  closed  her  eyes  and  heaved 
a  long  sigh.  More  from  excitement  than  any- 
thing else  she  was  desperately  tired  and  thankful 
to  be  alone  to  think  over  the  events  of  that  after- 
noon. Now  that  she  was  safe  in  her  own  home, 
it  hardly  seemed  possible  that  such  a  strange 
thing  could  have  happened  to  her.  She  had  come 
in  with  her  mind  full  of  it,  excited  by  the  unusual- 
ness  of  it — her  first  real  adventure.  And  though 
not  given  to  many  confidences  with  her  grand- 
mother, she  had  meant  to  tell  her  all  about  it, 
had  not  that  individual's  condemnatory  attitude 
at  once  made  it  impossible  for  her  to  do  so. 
Defrauded  of  natural  outlet,  the  facts  assumed 
undue  importance,  immediately  became  intensified 
in  the  girl's  mind,  and  the  personality  of  the  man 
more  than  the  events  themselves  persistently 
engrossed  her.  From  a  safe  distance,  now  that 
she  thought  it  over,  she  was  appalled  that  she  had 
allowed  a  stranger  such  privileges,  but  at  the 
time  it  had  seemed  the  most  natural  thing 
in  the  world.  Something  in  his  manner  and 
voice  had  won  her  immediate  confidence.  She 
could  not  analyze  it,  but  she  felt  it  at  the  time 


The  Way  of  Belinda        23 

and  she  felt  it  now  in  retrospect.  She  could 
recall  his  appearance  perfectly,  though  she  was 
in  doubt  as  to  the  color  of  his  eyes.  But  his 
clean-shaven  face  with  its  well-cut  though  some- 
what irregular  features  stood  out  clearly  before 
her,  and  she  remembered  in  the  brief  moment 
when  she  had  looked  squarely  at  him  to  have  been 
impressed  by  its  strength,  particularly  as  shown 
in  the  well-moulded  mouth  and  chin.  She  won- 
dered who  he  was  and  what  he  happened  to  be 
doing  in  Rivington  Street,  and  then  she  smiled 
as  she  thought  he'd  have  good  reason  to  wonder 
in  the  same  way  about  her.  For  his  sudden 
appearance  and  courteous  protection  she  was 
thankful,  for  to  herself  she  was  willing  to  confess 
she  had  been  thoroughly  frightened.  Reverting 
to  the  boys,  she  speculated  with  considerable 
curiosity  as  to  why  she  was  singled  out  as  a  target 
for  decayed  fruit,  or  was  this,  perhaps,  one  of 
the  little  pleasantries  of  the  East  Side,  about 
which  she  knew  so  little  and  Miss  Lovering  so 
much?  In  the  first  instant  of  her  rage  against 
the  boys  she  had  inwardly  vowed  she'd  never  go 
down  there  again,  but  that  passed.  She  wanted 
to  help  Miss  Lovering,  and  she  liked  singing 
songs  and  telling  stories  to  the  children  of  her 
kindergarten  club,  in  some  of  whom  she  was 


24        The  Way  of  Belinda 

greatly  interested,  little  Janie,  whom  she  had 
dubbed  "  Lady  Redbreast,"  most  of  all.  How 
contented  the  mite  had  been  to  have  the  man 
carry  her — no  doubt,  she  liked  his  strong  arms. 
How  well  he  seemed  to  know  the  neighborhood, 
the  house — "  tenement,"  he  called  it — where 
"  Lady  Redbreast"  lived !  Perhaps  he  lived 
down  there — perhaps  he  was  one  of  those  serious 
young  University  Settlement  men  of  whom  Miss 
Levering  had  told  her — perhaps — 

She  woke  with  a  start,  looking  up  with  a 
bewildered  expression  at  her  grandmother,  who 
was  impressing  on  her  the  necessity  of  rising  to 
dress. 


CHAPTER    III. 

"  It  sometimes  happens  that  one  looks  for  one 
thing  and  finds  another." 

SANCHO  PANZA. 

THE  Denbeighs,  after  eighteen  years  in  the 
metropolis,  regarded  themselves  as  an  old  New 
York  family.  At  least,  the  younger  members 
did.  Mrs.  Denbeigh  knew  better,  while  Mr. 
Denbeigh  gave  no  thought  to  the  matter.  Of 
wealth  there  was  plenty,  traditions  none,  and 
Mrs.  Denbeigh  knew  the  value  of  traditions; 
knew,  too,  they  could  not  be  bought,  nor  were 
they  to  be  acquired  in  one  generation. 

Ambitious  to  found  a  family  name,  Mrs.  Den- 
beigh attached  the  highest  importance  to  a  good 
background,  and  thus  it  came  about  that  their 
life  in  New  York  had  its  beginning  in  Washing- 
ton Square.  The  house  selected  was  the  old 
Ronalds  mansion,  purchased  from  Madame 
Ronalds,  who  had  put  it  on  the  market  directly 
after  her  husband's  death.  Negotiations  for  the 
property  were  left  entirely  to  Mrs.  Denbeigh, 


26        The  Way  of  Belinda 

whose  husband  was  provokingly  indifferent  to 
the  matter  of  residence.  Through  their  brokers 
she  and  Madame  Ronalds  met,  which  led  to  an 
acquaintance,  never  ripening  into  friendship — for 
Madame  Ronalds  did  not  make  friends  of  "  new  " 
people — yet  cordial  in  its  relations,  of  im- 
mense advantage  to  Mrs.  Denbeigh  and  no  small 
advantage  to  Madame  Ronalds,  as  that  astute 
woman  reasoned,  when  she  decided  in  a  measure 
to  take  her  up.  She  did  not  go  to  the  length  of 
standing  Mrs.  Denbeigh's  social  godmother  and 
launching  her  in  her  own  exclusive  set,  but  occa- 
sionally, as  the  seasons  passed,  threw  her  a  sop 
in  the  way  of  an  invitation  to  luncheon  to  meet 
social  luminaries,  and  was  always  most  thought- 
ful in  allowing  her  to  subscribe  liberally  to 
fashionable  charities  and  to  buy  unlimited  tickets 
for  the  many  and  varied  entertainments,  chari- 
table and  otherwise,  at  which  Madame  Ronalds 
figured  as  patroness.  Mrs.  Denbeigh  willingly 
allowed  herself  to  be  governed  in  the  choice  of 
milliners  and  modistes,  to  whom  she  gave  such 
extravagant  orders  that  she  was  much  desired  as 
a  customer.  And  her  patronage,  secured  through 
Madame  Ronalds,  who,  as  the  years  went  on, 
was  constantly  recommending  new  tradespeople, 
gave  unlimited  credit  to  that  individual,  and 


The  Way  of  Belinda        27 

enabled  her  in  many  ways,  of  which  Mrs.  Den- 
beigh  was  unconscious,  to  profit  by  her  connection 
with  the  nouveau  riche. 

By  studious  conformity  to  the  most  approved 
standards,  Mrs.  Denbeigh,  rung  by  rung,  slowly 
climbed  the  social  ladder,  a  feat  requiring  infinite 
patience  and  agility,  and  one  which  left  upon  her 
countenance  the  mark  of  many  an  ambitious 
conflict,  of  many  a  bitter  disappointment. 

Dinner  at  the  Denbeighs'  commonly  meant  to 
Belinda  a  prolonged  tete-d,-tete  with  Dan,  whose 
conversation  was  pretty  much  confined  to  making 
love  to  her  in  and  out  of  season.  At  first  this 
had  amused  her,  but  now  it  annoyed  her,  for  she 
wearied  of  sentimental  utterances  to  which  she 
was  unresponsive,  though  she  liked  him  well 
enough  to  try  to  keep  friendly  with  him.  To- 
night, as  usual,  he  took  her  out  to  dinner, 
confiding  to  her  on  the  way  that  she  looked 
"  perfectly  ripping."  Her  smile  in  response  to 
this  drew  forth  from  him  the  remark,  in  tones 
intense,  that  he'd  been  living  all  day  in  the 
thought  of  seeing  her,  to  which  she  made  a  light 
rejoinder  as  they  were  seated.  A  few  minutes 
later  she  heard  the  words  "  University  Settle- 
ment" from  the  man  on  her  left,  and  at  the  first 
opportunity  she  spoke  to  him.  He  proved  to  be 


28        The  Way  of  Belinda 

a  young  Englishman,  a  social  reformer  over  here 
to  study  American  methods.  For  the  life  of  her 
Belinda  could  not  have  told  why  University 
Settlements  attracted  her,  but  of  a  sudden  they 
seemed  the  most  interesting  thing  in  the  world. 
And  she  drew  the  Englishman  out,  listening  the 
while  to  his  talk  with  such  absorbed  attention 
that  the  man  was  flattered  into  a  long  account 
of  the  philanthropic  movement,  as  he  viewed  it, 
completely  forgetting  Miss  Denbeigh,  whom  he 
had  taken  in  to  dinner,  while  Dan  sulked  in  his 
seat,  an  ominous  frown  on  his  heavy  young  face. 
To  Belinda  it  was  quite  the  pleasantest  dinner 
she  ever  had  at  the  Denbeighs',  and  it  ended  all 
too  soon.  At  the  signal  from  Mrs.  Denbeigh 
reluctantly  she  left  the  table,  not  deigning  to  look 
at  Dan,  who  muttered  some  boyish  threat  as  she 
passed,  but  turning  to  flash  back  a  smile  at  the 
Englishman. 

"  Belinda,"  said  Leila  Denbeigh,  when  Mrs. 
Denbeigh  and  the  girls  reached  the  drawing- 
room,  "  for  a  girl  who  pretends  not  to  flirt,  you 
behaved  rather  queerly  with  Mr.  Westcote." 

"  Did  I  ?  "  she  replied,  confident  of  what  was 
coming. 

"  You  did.  You  encouraged  him  outrageously. 
He  scarcely  spoke  a  word  to  me.  Now,  you  may 


The  Way  of  Belinda        29 

as  well  stop  where  you  are,  for  Mr.  Westcote 
belongs  to  me." 

"  Exclusively  ?  "  asked  the  other  girl  quizzi- 
cally. 

"  Exclusively." 

Belinda  raised  her  eyebrows.  "Are  felicitations 
in  order,  Leila?  " 

"  Don't  be  so  literal,  Belinda ;  I've  only  seen 
him  twice.  He  brought  letters  to  father.  To 
tell  the  truth,  his  philanthropy  bores  me  horribly, 
but  he's  adorably  good  looking,  and  I'm  going 
slumming  with  him.  Mamma  makes  a  great  fuss 
over  him — insisted  on  his  dining  here  to-night, 
though  he  doesn't  like  society.  He's  awfully  well 
connected  in  England — heir  to  an  earldom,  and 
I  suspect  mamma  has  designs  on  him." 

"  I  should  say  you  had,"  commented  Belinda. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  self-consciously ;  "  any- 
way, he'd  be  useful  if  we  go  to  London  next 
season,  and  in  the  meantime  I'm  going  to  have 
fun  with  him."  Leila  smiled  suggestively. 

"  Don't,"  protested  Belinda ;  "  he's  too  nice." 

"  Too  nice  for  me  ?  " 

"  To  victimize,  yes." 

"  Um!  You  were  willing  enough  to  victimize 
him  during  dinner." 

"  I    was    really    interested    in    hearing    his 


30        The  Way  of  Belinda 

theories,"  said  the  other  seriously.  "  I  never 
heard  any  one  talk  like  that  before." 

"Rubbish!"  retorted  Leila;  "I  don't  believe 
you  care  any  more  for  his  theories  than  I  do. 
You  thought  he  was  nice,  so  you  smiled  at  him 
in  that  fetching  way  you  have  till  he  didn't  know 
there  was  any  one  around  but  you.  You  might 
as  well  be  honest." 

"  Leila,  you're  absurd  when  you  talk  like  that," 
realizing  even  as  she  said  it  the  futility  of  arguing 
with  her.  "  I  don't  delight  in  dangling  scalps 
at  my  belt,  as  you  do,  and  you  know  perfectly  well 
that  I  hate  the  cold-blooded  way  you  talk  about 
such  things.  I  like  to  have  sensible  talk  with 
men  when  I  can.  It's  a  relief  after  all  the  silly 
twaddle  one  hears." 

"  Do  you  always  have  to  be  so  fascinating 
when  they're  just  '  sensible'  ?  "  caustically  asked 
Leila,  who  all  her  life  had  been  jealous  of  Belinda. 

The  girl  turned  from  her  with  a  disgusted 
shrug.  "  You  never  understand,  because  you 
won't,"  she  replied;  and  leaving  her,  joined  a 
group  of  girls,  whose  sudden  animation  indicated 
that  the  men  were  trooping  into  the  drawing- 
room. 

Dinner  at  the  Denbeighs'  that  night  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  dance.  The  arrival  of  a  hundred 


The  Way  of  Belinda       31 

or  more  people  sent  the  dinner  guests  to  the 
ballroom,  where  Dan  claimed  Belinda  for  the 
first  dance.  To  this  she  gladly  acquiesced,  for 
she  delighted  in  dancing,  and  Dan  was  an  ideal 
partner.  Moreover,  under  the  circumstances,  it 
was  far  pleasanter  to  dance  with  him  than  to  talk 
to  him.  He  murmured  a  few  words  as  they  went 
round,  to  which  she  made  no  reply.  At  the  first 
stop  she  was  begged  to  divide  the  dance,  and 
went  off  with  another  man.  She  was  deep  in 
engagements  when  Dan  got  to  her  again,  and  it 
was  not  until  supper,  for  which  he  had  been 
clever  enough  to  secure  her  some  days  previous, 
that  he  had  any  chance  to  talk  to  her,  and  to 
Dan  the  monopolist  even  that  was  a  most  un- 
satisfactory arrangement,  for  they  shared  their 
table  with  two  others.  Across  the  room  Belinda 
looked  for  a  glimpse  of  the  Englishman,  whom, 
not  seeing,  she  concluded  had  departed  before 
the  dance  began.  Dan,  the  wily,  carried  her  off 
after  supper  to  a  corner  where  they  were  safe 
from  interruption,  and  there  on  her  unoffending 
head  vented  the  wrath  that  had  been  consuming 
him.  She  listened  somewhat  indifferently  to  his 
tirade  until  he  said : 

"  You  haven't  been  even   decent  to  me  to- 
night,  Belinda.      You've   flirted   right   and   left 


32        The  Way  of  Belinda 

with  all  the  fellows — that  English  duffer  worst 
of  all.  And  I'm  not  the  only  one  who's  noticed 
it." 

"  So  you've  been  talking  me  over  with  Leila?  " 

"  How  do  you  know?  "  sullenly. 

"  Abuse  of  me  is  a  trait  you  share  in  common." 

"  Well,  she  generally  agrees  with  a  fellow, 
which  is  more  than  you  do.  Why  can't  you  be 
nice,  Belinda  ?  "  He  leaned  close  and  tried  to 
slip  his  arm  around  her,  but  she  drew  away. 

"  I  would  be  nice,  Dan,  truly  I  would,  if  only 
you'd  behave  and  stop  teasing  me  to  love  you. 
You  know  we  used  to  get  on  well  enough  before 
you  got  foolish.  How's  your  new  automobile  ?  " 

"  Bother  the  automobile ! "  refusing  to  be 
mollified  by  her  interest  in  his  new  pet.  "  I  don't 
care  a  hang  about  it  or  anything  else  but  you,  and 
I'm  going  to  have  you." 

"  You've  always  had  everything  in  the  world 
you  set  your  heart  on,  haven't  you?"  she  asked 
with  cool  inflection. 

"  Certainly,  and  I'm  going  to  have  you,"  he 
repeated  with  a  determination  that  gave  momen- 
tary strength  to  his  characterless  face.  "  You'll 
marry  me,  Belinda;  our  people  expect  it." 

"  You're  not  half  as  much  in  love  with  me  as 
you  think  you  are,  Dan,"  she  said  argumenta- 


The  Way  of  Belinda        33 

lively ;  "  you're  really  in  love  with  yourself,  and 
I  truly  believe  you're  determined  to  marry  me 
just  because  I'm  the  first  thing  you've  wanted 
that  you  did  not  immediately  get." 

She  had  summed  up  the  situation  with  wisdom 
beyond  her  years.  Dan  scoffed  at  her  analysis; 
and  having  unburdened  his  mind  in  a  manner 
wholly  satisfactory  to  himself,  was  persuaded  to 
return  to  the  ballroom. 

An  hour  later  Belinda,  followed  by  her  maid, 
was  making  her  way  down  the  stairs  and  through 
the  hall  crowded  with  departing  guests,  all  of 
whom  were  chatting  gaily  together.  Dan  way- 
laid her,  asking  permission  to  escort  her  to  her 
carriage,  and  in  the  second  that  she  stopped  to 
answer  him  a  man  brushed  against  her  and 
.quickly  stepped  aside  to  let  her  pass.  She  turned, 
recognized  the  hero  of  her  Rivington  Street 
adventure,  and  flashed  a  smile  into  his  half- 
expectant  face. 

"Good-evening,"  she  said  in  a  voice  that 
brought  him  to  her  side;  "I  did  not  know  you 
were  here." 

In  her  long  white  wrap  and  trailing  gown,  her 
cheeks  flushed,  her  eyes  brilliant,  her  pretty, 
mobile  face  framed  in  a  white  hood,  itself  a  con- 
fusion of  lace,  fur,  and  ribbons,  she  stood  before 


34        The  Way  of  Belinda 

him,  the  girl  he  had  last  seen  on  the  Bowery,  a 
bewildering  vision. 

"  I  haven't  been  here  more  than  ten  minutes," 
he  hastened  to  reply,  pleasure  evident  in  her 
recognition  of  him.  "  I  came  on  business,  and 
have  been  closeted  with  Mr.  Denbeigh  and  an 
Englishman,  whom  I  wished  particularly  to  see. 
I'm  all  out  of  my  element  here,"  with  a  compre- 
hensive nod  over  the  crowded  hall. 

"  Mr.  Denbeigh,"  cried  a  girl,  "  is  it  three 
o'clock  or  four  to-morrow  you're  going  to  take 
me  out  in  your  automobile  ?  " 

Dan  turned  to  reply. 

Belinda  slipped  by  him,  Blake  close  beside  her. 
"  Of  course,"  she  was  saying  in  answer  to  his 
remark,  "  I  understand.  Mr.  Westcote  told  me 
so  many  things  to-night  at  dinner.  I  think  it  is 
splendid,  your  work — so  interesting  and  absorb- 
ing, isn't  it?" 

Blake's  face  lighted.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  it  is." 
To  the  man  whose  work  was  more  than  life 
itself  it  seemed  odd  that  this  girl,  a  few  hours 
ago  a  stranger,  should  so  quickly  strike  the  key- 
note of  his  existence.  "  Will  you  allow  me  to 
put  you  into  your  carriage?  "  he  asked  formally, 
his  eyes  betraying  his  appreciation. 

She  nodded  and  smiled  as  they  went  down  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda       35 

steps.  "  It  seems  to  be  your  role  to-day,  does 
it  not,  to  do  escort  duty  to  me?  " 

A  compliment  rose  to  his  lips  and  was  swal- 
lowed. She  was  above  such  banalities.  "  I  wish 
it  were  a  privilege  not  limited  to  to-day,"  he  said 
frankly,  looking  down  in  her  upturned  face,  and 
then  hated  himself  for  forgetting  for  an  instant 
that  her  life  and  his  lay  as  wide  apart  as  the  poles. 

"  Perhaps  it  will  not  be,"  she  laughed,  "  now 
that  we  find  we  have  friends  in  common.  I  fancy 
you  must  know  Miss  Lovering,  too." 

"  I  don't  know  these  people  here,"  he  hastened 
to  say,  "  but  Miss  Lovering  I  do  know  well." 

"  How  distressed  she  will  feel  when  she  hears 
what  a  fright  '  Lady  Redbreast'  and  I  had  this 
afternoon,  and  how  grateful  she'll  be  to  you  for 
helping  us  out — I  am,  too."  There  was  none  of 
the  shyness  of  the  afternoon  about  her  now.  She 
was  in  her  own  world,  on  her  own  ground,  self- 
possessed  and  perfectly  at  ease  with  this  man 
who,  meeting  under  the  Denbeighs*  roof,  was  no 
longer  to  be  regarded  questioningly.  And  her 
mood  was  radiant.  She  felt  happy,  gay,  exhila- 
rated by  the  excitement  of  the  evening,  the 
surprise  of  running  across  the  man  who  had  so 
persistently  engrossed  her  since  first  they  met. 
She  wished  the  distance  to  the  carriage  stretched 


36        The  Way  of  Belinda 

out  immeasurably,  she  wished — a  hundred  in- 
definable things. 

Blake,  moved  by  the  irresistible  charm  of  her, 
tightened  his  hold  on  himself  and  made  no 
response  to  her  pretty  show  of  gratitude.  He 
opened  the  carriage  door,  and  would  have  closed 
it  after  her  without  further  speech  had  she  not 
leaned  forward  in  her  seat  and  held  out  her  hand. 

He  took  it  impulsively. 

"Good-night,"  she  said,  "  and  au  revoir" 

"  Good-night,"  he  echoed,  "  and  good-by." 

Half  way  up  the  block  Belinda  startled  her 
sleepy  maid  by  the  sudden  exclamation,  "  I  don't 
know  his  name !  " 

"Has  mademoiselle  forgotten  something?" 
asked  Elise. 

"  No." 

There  was  silence.     The  maid  dozed. 

"  His  eyes  are  gray,"  softly  murmured  Belinda. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  No  matter !    His  coat  was  guilty.    They  didn't 
tear  him  to  pieces;  they  tore  his  coat." 

JAMES  LANE  ALLEN. 

Now  it  happened  on  that  stormy  afternoon 
when  Belinda  and  Blake  had  their  first  encoun- 
ter, that  another  reporter  had  been  passing 
through  Rivington  Street,  eager  and  ever  alert 
for  news.  He  represented  a  highly  colored 
journal,  steeped  in  sensationalism  and  dealing 
largely  in  personalities.  For  him  the  fashion- 
ably clad  girl  on  the  doorsteps  had  immediate 
interest.  So  did  the  succeeding  events.  He 
recognized  Blake,  recognized,  too,  as  he  fol- 
lowed them  along  to  the  tenement,  that  Blake's 
interest  in  the  matter  had  passed  from  profes- 
sional to  personal.  Knew,  also,  that  there  was 
no  story  in  the  incidents  for  a  conservative 
paper  like  Blake's.  When  the  child  had  been  left 
at  the  tenement  and  the  girl  and  man  had  de- 
parted, the  reporter  followed  them  to  the  car, 


38        The  Way  of  Belinda 

saw  the  episode  to  its  finish,  hurried  back  to  the 
tenement,  and  extracted  from  Janie  and  her  sis- 
ter a  full  account  of  what  the  girl  was  in  her  re- 
lations to  them.  Miss  Leigh,  the  well-known 
society  girl !  Here  was  a  name  to  conjure  with. 
He  had  her  history  at  his  finger  tips,  and  her 
mother's  and  her  grandmother's.  He  remem- 
bered he  had  been  assigned  to  write  them  up 
when  Miss  Leigh  made  her  debut.  He  gloated 
over  the  thought  of  what  a  good  thing  had  come 
his  way  that  afternoon,  and  hurried  down  to  the 
office,  where  he  reported  to  his  chief,  entered 
into  a  brief  conversation  with  one  of  the  artists 
of  the  paper,  and  with  some  facts  and  much 
fancy  set  to  work. 

In  consequence,  the  following  morning  the 
second  page  of  his  paper  blazed  with  lurid  head- 
lines : 

"  MISS  LEIGH  IN  THE  SLUMS. 

WELL-KNOWN    SOCIETY    GIRL    PELTED   WITH 
ROTTEN  FRUIT. 

SMALL   BOYS   FLEE   FROM   HER  RESCUER,  WHO 
ASSISTS  HER  IN  GETTING  HER  TENE- 
MENT  CHARGE    HOME." 


The  Way  of  Belinda       39 

Then  followed  a  column  and  a  half  of  vivid 
writing,  minutely  setting  forth  Miss  Leigh's 
charms,  her  clothes,  her  social  position,  her  kin- 
dergarten club,  and  in  the  middle  the  column 
broke  for  the  insertion  of  a  sketch  of  her  as  she 
stood  on  the  steps  holding  the  child  by  the  hand 
at  the  moment  when  the  boys  attacked  them. 
The  sketch  was  rather  cleverly  done,  but  with- 
out the  name  attached  would  not  have  been  rec- 
ognizable. A  few  lines  in  the  story  were  given 
to  the  gallantry  of  her  rescuer,  but  no  mention 
was  made  of  his  name.  This,  however,  was 
scarcely  noticeable,  so  entirely  was  it  made  to 
hang  on  Miss  Leigh,  its  central  figure. 

If  the  world  were  made  up  of  persons  who 
minded  their  own  business  and  not  that  of  their 
neighbors — if,  in  fact,  the  world  were  Utopian, 
certain  it  is  that  the  story  in  question  never 
would  have  come  to  the  notice  of  Madame  Ron- 
alds or  Belinda.  They  never  bought  the  news- 
paper in  the  columns  of  which  it  appeared,  nor 
saw  it  in  the  houses  of  their  friends.  It  was  a 
journal  frowned  on  by  respectability,  masculine 
and  feminine,  yet  glanced  at  by  respectability 
masculine,  who  found  in  it  news  and  whose  in- 
terest was  continually  piqued  into  speculation  as 
to  what  it  might  say  or  do  next. 


The  Way  of  Belinda 

Dan  saw  the  paper  at  his  club,  and  rushed 
home  with  it  to  his  mother.  To  rush  home  with 
things  to  his  mother  was  the  habit  of  a  lifetime 
with  Dan.  Not  that  he  took  her  altogether  into 
his  confidence,  but  so  much  so  that  she  herself 
thought  she  knew  all  the  workings  of  his  mind, 
and  Dan  regarded  her  as  his  best  friend.  But  to 
pet,  indulge,  and  thoroughly  spoil  a  boy 
through  the  twenty-four  years  of  his  life  is  not 
by  the  unbiassed  regarded  as  the  highest  form 
of  friendship.  And  Mrs.  Denbeigh  had  mo- 
ments of  discovering  that  Dan's  will  was 
stronger  than  her  own. 

She  read  the  newspaper  story  of  Belinda  in 
amazement,  interjected  with  exclamations,  and 
ached  to  be  off  with  it  to  Madame  Ronalds;  but 
Dan  held  her  back.  He  had  grievances  to  air. 
Belinda  had  treated  him  abominably  the  pre- 
vious evening,  and  he  related  to  his  mother  her 
indifference  at  dinner,  her  unwillingness  to  let 
him  talk,  her  all  too  evident  pleasure  in  the  so- 
ciety of  any  other  man  than  himself,  and,  worst 
offence  of  all,  her  escape  from  him  at  the  last, 
going  off  with — whom  did  his  mother  suppose? 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  A  newspaper  reporter !" 

"  Impossible,     Pan !     You're    mistaken.     I 


The  Way  of  Belinda       41 

never  allow  them  in  my  house.    And  how  could 
Belinda  know  such  a  person?  " 

"  Why,  don't  you  see,"  exclaimed  Dan,  "  it's 
the  man  who  wrote  this.  It  must  be,"  picking 
up  the  paper  again.  "  We  were  in  the  hall,"  he 
explained,  "  and  I  was  going  out  to  the  car- 
riage with  her,  when  Miss  Archer  spoke  to  me 
about  an  engagement  I'd  made  with  her.  Just 
as  I  turned  I  saw  Belinda  bow  to  a  strange  man 
who  was  passing.  She  stopped  him,  but  by  that 
time  Miss  Archer  had  me  buttonholed.  When 
I  turned  again  I  didn't  see  Belinda,  but  the  crush 
was  awful  then,  with  every  one  leaving  at 
once,  so  I  thought  she'd  got  back  out  of  it 
somewhere,  and  hunted  around  for  her. 
Couldn't  find  her  all  over  the  place.  Asked 
James.  He'd  seen  her  go  out  to  her  carriage 
with  a  gentleman.  Who  was  the  gentleman? 
James  didn't  know.  Just  then  I  passed  father 
and  Mr.  Westcote  coming  out  of  the  library,  and 
I  heard  father  say,  *  That  Blake  strikes  me  as  a 
remarkably  keen  young  man.'  '  What  Blake?  ' 
I  broke  in.  '  Oh,  no  one  you  know/  said  father, 
'  a  reporter  who's  been  here  interviewing  Mr. 
Westcote/  I  asked  if  he'd  gone.  '  Ten  minutes 
ago/  father  said.  I  was  staggered.  That  was 
the  fellow  Belinda  went  off  with." 


42        The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  It's  incredible !"  gasped  Mrs.  Denbeigh. 

"  It's  as  simple  as  A,  B,  C,"  impatiently. 
"  Don't  you  see  he'd  evidently  thrust  himself 
on  Belinda  down  in  the  slums,  and  she  got  some 
fool  girl  notion  that  he'd  done  a  fine  thing — it's 
just  like  her.  So,  last  night,  when  he  had  the 
nerve  to  thrust  himself  on  her  again,  she  was 
idiot  enough  to  let  him.  I  suppose  he  was 
stringing  her  for  more  copy !" 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Getting  her  to  talk  so  he  could  write  her  up 
again.  Probably  to-night's  paper  will  be  an  il- 
lustrated edition  of  the  Denbeigh  mansion,  and 
more  pictures  of  Belinda  taking  her  departure 
from  the  dance." 

His  mother  shuddered.  "  Dan,"  she  said, 
"  order  my  brougham.  I  must  go  at  once  to 
Madame  Ronalds." 

"  You  can  just  tell  Belinda,"  he  cried  irately, 
"  that  if  she's  going  in  for  duffers  of  that  class 
it's  all  over  between  her  and  me." 

"  Don't  be  absurd,  Dan,"  said  his  mother, 
who  had  this  match  dearly  at  heart.  "  Fancy 
Belinda's  associating  with  a  reporter.  You 
might  as  well  suspect  her  of  conversing  with 
James !  There's  some  mistake  about  it — the  last 
night  part  of  it.  Probably  she  was  annoyed 


The  Way  of  Belinda       43 

that  the  man  spoke  to  her,  and  hurried  to  her 
carriage  to  get  rid  of  him.  She  shouldn't  have 
left  the  house,  of  course,  but  girls  often  do  fool- 
ish things." 

"  Well,"  admitted  Dan,  prone  from  long  habit 
to  accept  his  mother's  views,  "  you  may  be 
right  about  that,  but  there's  no  getting  'round 
the  slum  racket,  is  there?  Gad!  What  a  talk 
there'll  be!" 

"  The  publicity  is  a  disgrace,  or  would  be  to 
most  families.  The  Ronalds's  position  is  im- 
pregnable." 

"  I  don't  think  old  lady  Ronalds  is  any  greater 
shakes  than  we  are.  What's  the  matter  with  us? 
Aren't  we  in  the  swim? "  cried  Dan.  "  The 
way  you  truckle  to  her  is  foolish,"  the  youthful 
dictator  continued.  "  We're  as  high  up  on  the 
ladder  as  she  is,  every  bit." 

"  If  such  a  sensational  newspaper  article  as 
this  should  come  out  about  Leila,  you'd  see  how 
quickly  we'd  fall  from  the  ladder  on  which  you 
fancy  we  are  so  highly  and  serenely  perched.  It 
will  annoy  Madame  Ronalds,  but  won't  really 
hurt  her  at  all.  You  don't  understand  these 
things,  my  dear  Dan — men  never  do — but 
they're  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  you  have 
my  realization  of  it  to  thank  for  the  position  you 


44        The  Way  of  Belinda 

and  Leila  hold  in  society  to-day.  You're  better 
known  in  the  more  exclusive  set  than  your 
father  and  I  are,  or  ever  will  be,  which  proves 
that  I  have  not  worked  all  these  years  in  vain, 
and  your  social  position  will  be  all  I  would  ask 
when  you  marry  Belinda  and  are  backed  by  the 
Ronalds  connection." 

"  I'll  have  no  girl  I'm  engaged  to  prowling 
'round  the  East  Side." 

"  Of  course  not;  her  grandmother  will  put  a 
stop  to  that,  you  may  be  sure.  Now,  persuade 
Belinda  that  you  don't  want  to  trifle  any  longer, 
and  get  the  engagement  announced."  With 
which  command  Mrs.  Denbeigh  withdrew  to 
her  room,  and  half  an  hour  later  was  announced 
at  Madame  Ronalds's. 

The  older  woman  received  her,  but  without 
the  inward  cordiality  which  outwardly  she  mani- 
fested. She  disliked  morning  visitors,  and  was 
somewhat  annoyed  that  Mrs.  Denbeigh  should 
presume  upon  their  acquaintance  to  intrude  at 
such  a  time.  She  was  quick  to  discover  that  the 
visit  had  some  special  significance,  for  Mrs. 
Denbeigh  fairly  bristled  with  importance.  This 
propensity  on  Mrs.  Denbeigh's  part  to  bristle  on 
all  occasions  was  a  source  of  constant  annoy- 
ance to  Madame  Ronalds,  who  regarded  a 


The  Way  of  Belinda       45 

calmly  dignified  manner  as  a  sine  qua  non  of 
good  breeding.  And  in  the  younger  woman's 
high-pitched  voice  there  was  a  suspicious  West- 
ern twang,  which  for  the  most  part  was  kept 
under,  but  in  moments  of  excitement  crept  to 
the  surface  and  jarred  on  the  fastidious  Ron- 
alds ear. 

The  twang  was  apparent  in  her  first  abrupt 
remark.  "  Have  you  seen  the  Globe  this  morn- 
ing?  " 

"  The  what? "  queried  Madame  Ronalds, 
leaning  indolently  back  in  her  chair. 

"  The  Globe — this  " — producing  a  newspaper 
which  she  began  to  unfold — "  have  you  seen  it 
this  morning?  " 

"  Oh,  pray,  do  not  trouble  to  open  it,"  re- 
joined Madame  Ronalds;  "  I  never  read  it  or 
permit  it  to  be  about  where  I  am." 

"  Nor  I,  usually,"  resenting  the  other's  su- 
periority, "  but  I'm  always  interested  in  any- 
thing that  concerns  Belinda." 

"Ah!  that  I  know,"  suavely,  "but  I  really 
fail  to  see  the  connection." 

"  There  it  is  " — spreading  the  page  before 
her — "  well-known  Globe  headings,  picture  and 
all.  It  won't  leave  further  doubt  of  the  connec- 
tion in  your  mind.  Read  it  and  see." 


46        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Madame  Ronalds  took  the  obnoxious  sheet, 
and  held  it  with  the  tips  of  her  fingers,  as  if  she 
feared  contamination.  Her  face  was  a  study  in 
emotions  as  Mrs.  Denbeigh  gazed  at  her. 
Astonishment,  anger,  blank  amazement,  dis- 
gust, horror,  were  depicted  with  swiftness  and 
intensity  rarely  betrayed  by  so  self-contained  a 
nature.  She  seemed  suddenly  to  grow  old.  It 
was  as  if  the  superlatively  elegant  and  haughty 
woman  of  the  world  had  inadvertently  dropped 
her  mask  and  revealed  the  anxious,  ambitious, 
weary  schemer.  Startled  and  shocked  by  the 
ashen  hue  that  settled  on  her  face  as  she  read  on 
to  the  end,  Mrs.  Denbeigh  laughed  nervously. 
"  It  is  evidently  a  surprise  to  you,  too,"  she 
said  inanely. 

Madame  Ronalds  made  no  reply,  but  com- 
pressed her  lips  tightly  together. 

"  Belinda  saw  the  man  again  at  our  house 
last  night,"  further  announced  Mrs.  Denbeigh. 
"  Dan  says  it's  the  same.  She  went  off  with 
him." 

Madame  Ronalds  dropped  the  paper  and 
looked  at  the  bristling  lady  opposite.  Her  face, 
still  pale,  no  longer  betrayed  any  emotion.  "  I 
don't  think  I  quite  follow  you,"  she  said,  resum- 


The  Way  of  Belinda       47 

ing  her  usual  imperturbable  manner.  "  Of  what 
man  are  you  speaking?  " 

"  The  man  whom  Belinda  picked  up  on  the 
East  Side,  and  who  wrote  that  dreadful  thing, 
and  who  managed  to  get  in  our  house  last 
night,"  breathlessly. 

"  He  was  with  her  last  night,  you  say?  Really, 
you  astonish  me.  I  fancied  in  these  days,"  with 
slight  emphasis,  "  one  was  not  likely  to  encoun- 
ter objectionable  persons  in  your  house." 

Mrs.  Denbeigh  was  almost  in  tears.  "  It  was 
not  my  fault  he  was  there,"  she  cried;  "  the  ser- 
vants have  the  strictest  orders  about  reporters. 
I  don't  know  how  he  managed  to  get  in.  I 
didn't  see  him,  but  Belinda  did,  and  slipped 
away  from  Dan  to  go  out  to  her  carriage 
escorted  by  him."  She  had  arrived  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  some  sort  of  a  defence  for 
Belinda,  but  the  other  woman's  attitude  stung 
her  into  vindictiveness.  "  Perhaps  they  had  it 
all  arranged  before  they  came,"  she  hazarded. 
"  Perhaps  she  was  expecting  him.  It  is  incon- 
ceivable that  their  meeting  again  so  soon  was  a 
mere  coincidence.  Probably  it  was  a  clandestine 
meeting!"  This  thought  seemed  to  her  a  posi- 
tive inspiration. 


48        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Madame  Ronalds  drew  herself  up  frigidly. 
"  The  Ronalds,"  she  remarked  haughtily,  "  rec- 
ognize no  such  word  as  clandestine." 

Mrs.  Denbeigh  felt  crushed,  defrauded  of 
rightful  claim  to  discussion  of  news  of  which  she 
had  been  the  bearer.  "  Belinda's  escapade  is  all 
over  town  by  this  time,"  she  rallied  to  say  defi- 
antly, expecting  to  see  the  older  woman  wince. 

But  Madame  Ronalds  only  regarded  her 
calmly.  "  Yes,"  she  rejoined,  "  such  publicity 
to  what  was  merely  an  annoying  occurrence  to 
Belinda  yesterday  afternoon  is  much  to  be  re- 
gretted. The  article  is  largely  a  matter  of  in- 
vention." 

"  Lies?  "  Mrs.  Denbeigh  asked  with  return- 
ing boldness. 

"  A  tissue  of  lies,  set  forth  in  the  vulgar  man- 
ner one  might  expect  from  such  a  paper.  It  is, 
as  I  say,  to  be  regretted  and  ignored,"  point- 
edly. "  Belinda  will  no  longer  venture  into  a 
part  of  the  town  where  she  is  likely  to  be  sub- 
jected to  such  unpleasantness.  Apparently, 
however,  Mrs.  Denbeigh,  she  is  not  free  from 
annoyance  in  your  house.  May  I  suggest  that 
in  future  you  give  even  stricter  orders  to  your 
servants,  that  I  may  not  be  under  the  necessity 
of  keeping  Belinda  away?  " 


The  Way  of  Belinda       49 

Mrs.  Denbeigh  flushed,  but  made  no  reply. 
It  was  not  the  first  time  she  had  been  unable  to 
parry  a  thrust  of  Madame  Ronalds'.  She 
chafed  against  her  helplessness  in  the  matter  of 
speech  at  such  times,  but  Madame  had  always 
had  a  paralyzing  effect  on  her.  "  Dan  is  fear- 
fully cut  up  about  it  all,"  she  at  last  managed  to 
say. 

Here  she  touched  a  responsive  chord.  "  Ah ! 
send  the  dear  boy  to  me,"  replied  Madame  Ron- 
alds; "  he  mustn't  mind  in  the  least.  Young 
people  take  these  things  so  very  seriously,  do 
they  not?  However,  it  is  natural  and  proper  he 
should  feel  whatever  in  any  way  concerns  Be- 
linda. She  will  be  touched  by  this  new  proof  of 
his  devotion." 

If  Mrs.  Denbeigh  had  her  doubts  of  this  she 
did  not  express  them,  but  departed  with  the  con- 
sciousness that  her  visit  had  not  been  all  she  had 
reason  to  expect  of  it.  "  She  thought  she  fooled 
me,  but  she  didn't,"  asserted  that  lady  in  the 
freedom  and  privacy  of  her  brougham.  "  It  is 
worth  it  all  to  have  seen  her  face." 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  The  human  race  would  be  too  unhappy  if  it 
were  as  common  to  commit  atrocious  things  as  it 
is  to  believe  them." 

VOLTAIRE. 

FROM  a  brief  walk  in  the  Park,  Belinda 
entered,  smiling.  "  It's  glorious  out  this  morn- 
ing, Nana,"  she  exclaimed ;  "  the  snow  is  over 
everything.  Every  shrub  and  tree  covered  with 
'  ermine  too  dear  for  an  earl.'  The  Park  is  like 
fairyland — do  go  out  and  see !" 

Rhapsodies,  at  all  times  merely  tolerated  by 
Madame  Ronalds,  were  not  at  the  moment  in 
accord  with  her  mood. 

"  Sit  down,"  she  said,  "  when  you've  taken 
off  your  things  and  tell  me  more  about  the 
dance  last  night.  You  enjoyed  it?  " 

"  So  much — more  than  usual,"  her  eyes  grow- 
ing soft  with  remembrance. 

"  It  was  just  your  particular  young  set,  was  it 
not?  No  new  people?  " 

"  A  few,"  said  the  girl,  flinging  her  furs  into 


The  Way  of  Belinda       5  i 

one  chair  and  herself  in  another,  "  one  sat  next 
me  at  dinner — an  Englishman.  I  liked  him  ex- 
ceedingly. Westcote,  his  name  was." 

"  Ah !  yes,  I  know  the  family.  Gerard,  I  fancy 
this  is.  He  inherited  an  enormous  fortune, 
which  he's  rapidly  disposing  of.  Has  pro- 
nounced altruistic  tendencies,  and  that  sort  of 
nonsense,  hasn't  he?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Belinda,  inwardly  resenting 
this  speech. 

"  And  the  other  new  people,"  continued 
Madame  Ronalds,  "  who  were  they?  " 

"  I  didn't  meet  any  others." 

"  Ah !  then  your  escort  to  the  carriage  was 
not  a  stranger  to  you,"  she  said,  her  penetrating 
eyes  fixed  on  the  girl's  face. 

"  Not — not  exactly,"  said  Belinda,  with  an 
embarrassment  she  struggled  to  hide,  and  won- 
dering what  tales  Elise  had  been  telling. 

"  Who  is  he,  Belinda?  " 

The  girl  hesitated.  "  A— a  University  Settle- 
ment man,  I  think,  Nana." 

"And  what  is  that?" 

"They  all  live  together,  a  lot  of  men,  in  a 
house  they  call  a  Settlement,  and  work  among 
the  poor,"  she  said,  fresh  with  information 
gleaned  from  Westcote. 


52        The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  What  an  extraordinary  person  to  be  at  the 
Denbeighs'  dance,"  commented  her  grand- 
mother, whose  eyes  never  left  Belinda's  face. 

"  Oh,  he  wasn't  at  the  dance,"  exclaimed  Be- 
linda, breathing  more  freely;  "  he  just  dropped  in 
at  the  end  to  see  Mr.  Westcote.  He  said  he  was 
all  out  of  his  element  there,"  she  volunteered, 
delighted  to  have  something  definite  to  say. 

"  Did  he? "  rejoined  Madame  Ronalds,  re- 
moving her  glasses  and  tapping  them  against 
her  fingers;  "  and  pray  how  did  that  sort  of  per- 
son happen  to  be  talking  to  you?  " 

Belinda  leaned  across  her  chair  to  pick  up  her 
furs,  and  half  rose  with  the  evident  intention  of 
going  to  her  room.  "  I  don't  see  why  you  think 
it  strange,  Nana,"  she  replied,  face  averted, 
"  that  I  should  be  talking  to  a  guest  of  the  Den- 
beighs'." 

"  Sit  still,"  commanded  her  grandmother. 
"  The  man  was  not  a  guest  of  the  Denbeighs, 
but  a  reporter — a  newspaper  reporter,"  drop- 
ping the  words  from  her  tongue  as  if  she  were 
speaking  of  a  leper,  "  and  your  former  disgrace- 
ful connection  with  him  is  known  to  me.  He 
has  set  it  forth  picturesquely  here!"  The  cool 
sarcasm  of  her  tone  so  startled  the  girl  that  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda        53 

full  significance  of  her  words  did  not  penetrate 
until  the  paper  was  thrust  into  her  hand.  She 
clutched  it,  stared  blankly  at  the  picture,  the 
text,  jumped  from  her  chair,  and  stood  by  the 
window,  where  she  read  it  through,  trembling 
from  head  to  foot. 

"  Such  an  adventure  among  low,  common 
people  is  scandalous — the  publicity  given  to  it  a 
disgrace,"  said  Madame  Ronalds,  turning  to 
where  the  girl  stood;  "  and  that  a  granddaugh- 
ter of  mine  should  allow  a  vulgar,  impertinent 
stranger  such  liberties  and  take  such  good  care 
to  conceal  all  knowledge  of  the  affair  from  me  is 
past  belief." 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  true,  it  isn't  true,"  cried  Belinda ; 
"  he  wasn't — it  isn't — it  can't  be,"  she  gasped, 
bewilderment  in  her  face,  the  paper  swimming 
before  her  eyes. 

"  I  am  waiting  for  an  explanation,"  rejoined 
her  grandmother  coldly;  "  you  will  oblige  me 
by  speaking  coherently,  Belinda." 

"  I  did  have  a  disagreeable  time  with  the 
boys,"  confessed  the  girl,  struggling  to  maintain 
her  composure,  "  and  a  man  did  help  me  with 
Janie — all  that's  true.  But  he  was  not  vulgar, 
he  was  kindness  itself,  and  did  everything  in  the 


54        The  Way  of  Belinda 

quietest  way,  and  I  would  have  told  you  all 
about  it  when  I  came  home  only  you  wouldn't 
listen — you  wouldn't.  Don't  you  remember, 
Nana?  You  said  it  bored  you  when  I  began. 
And,  oh!  it  wasn't  all  horrid,  and — and  sensa- 
tional the  way  it's  written  here.  It  wasn't  any- 
thing to  speak  of  at  all !" 

"  Nothing  to  speak  of,"  retorted  her  grand- 
mother, "  that  you  were  walking  in  the  dark  in 
a  disreputable  quarter  of  the  town,  alone  with  a 
man  of  whom  you  knew  absolutely  nothing?  A 
man  of  the  lowest  type,  who  all  the  while  was 
drawing  you  out,  taking  notes  of  your  costume, 
your  manners,  your  speech,  that  he  might  make 
capital  out  of  you  and  publish  your  indescre- 
tions  from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the  other?  " 

Belinda  stood  rigid,  though  the  world  seemed 
dropping  from  under  her  feet. 

"  And  as  if  that  were  not  enough,"  pursued 
Madame  Ronalds,  "  he  tracked  you  last  night  to 
the  Denbeighs'  to  see  what  more  he  could  get 
out  of  you.  Once  they  get  the  scent  those  crea- 
tures are  like  bloodhounds.  And  evidently  his 
persistence  was  rewarded.  You  were  seen  to 
leave  the  house  with  him.  The  result  of  his  last 
encounter  with  you  will  no  doubt  be  published 
as  a  companion  piece  to  this!" 


The  Way  of  Belinda       55 

The  cool,  scathing  words  burned  like  iron 
into  the  girl's  soul.  Her  heart  throbbed  pain- 
fully, and  her  mind  was  in  a  turmoil,  out  of 
which  no  coherent  thought  took  shape.  "  He 
— he  said  he  came  to  see  Mr.  Westcote,"  she 
ventured  feebly. 

"  Indeed !  a  good  excuse !  Reporters  have  the 
inventive  faculty  highly  developed,"  remarked 
Madame  Ronalds,  who  seemed  of  a  sudden 
extraordinarily  conversant  with  this  much- 
despised  class.  "  Return  that  paper  to  me,  Be- 
linda. I  wish  to  put  it  in  the  fire.  I  shall  never 
refer  to  it  again,  nor  will  I  permit  any  reference 
to  it  from  our  friends,  neither  will  you.  They 
will  talk  enough,  you  may  be  sure,  but  I  have 
not  seen  the  paper,  do  you  understand?  I  have 
not  seen  it,  nor  have  you,  and  I  fancy  no  one  will 
venture  to  pursue  the  subject  in  my  presence. 
Disgrace  is  best  lived  down  by  being  ignored. 
Of  your  conduct  in  future  I  shall  take  more  strict 
account.  Deception  is  abhorrent  to  me,  and  it 
is  not  a  Ronalds  trait —  " 

"  Nana !"  cried  the  girl,  smarting  under  this 
injustice. 

"  Don't  interrupt.  You  will  go  no  more  to 
Miss  Lovering's  or  any  part  of  that  impossible 
section  of  the  town,  which  seems  to  have  such  a 


56        The  Way  of  Belinda 

fascination  for  you,  neither  will  you  go  any- 
where unattended.  When  Elise  can't  go  with 
you,  I  will."  She  delivered  this  ultimatum  in 
the  voice  of  one  whose  authority  was  unques- 
tioned. "  If  you  can't  find  interests  in  your  own 
neighborhood  I  will  endeavor  to  discover  some 
for  you,  but  it  would  seem  to  me  that  with  your 
social  duties,  your  days  might  be  called  suffi- 
ciently full." 

"  Oh,  Nana,"  cried  the  girl,  "  I  can't  give  up 
Miss  Lovering  or  the  children!  I  love  her  so 
dearly,  and  she  needs  me — she  has  so  little  help. 
You  don't  know  how  I  care  about  it,  how  much 
it  means  to  me,"  beseechingly.  "  Every  time  I 
go  down  there  and  see  her  and  realize  what  she 
is  doing  and  hear  her  talk,  I  come  away  with  a 
feeling  of  being  bigger,  broader  somehow. 
I  can't  just  explain  it,"  earnestly,  "  but  I  sup- 
pose it's  because  I  learn  such  a  lot." 

"  Sentimental  rubbish  that  is  of  no  use  to  you, 
and  that  you  are  far  better  off  without,"  said  her 
grandmother,  unmoved.  "  I've  expressed  my- 
self clearly  to  you,  have  I  not?  We  need  not 
discuss  this  unpleasant  topic  further.  You've 
given  me  one  of  the  bitterest  shocks  of  my  life 
to-day,  not  the  least  part  of  which  is  the  dis- 
covery that  you're  not  to  be  trusted." 


The  Way  of  Belinda       57 

The  color  rushed  to  Belinda's  face  and  re- 
ceded, leaving  her  white.  She  opened  her  mouth 
with  a  gasp,  half  anger,  half  pain.  Words  rose 
to  her  lips  and  were  stifled.  Fright  coupled 
with  an  acute  sense  of  suffocation  held  her 
.mute. 

"  I  am  lunching  at  the  Meynells'  to-day,"  con- 
tinued Madame  Ronalds,  glancing  at  the  clock. 
"  You  will  assist  me  to  dress,  Belinda." 

Mechanically  the  girl  followed  her  grand- 
mother to  her  bedroom  and  automatically  set 
about  playing  lady's-maid.  It  was  a  relief  to 
have  something  to  do.  Her  mind,  thrust  into 
momentary  fixedness,  occupied  itself  with  the 
duties  at  hand.  She  brought  out  her  grand- 
mother's gown,  her  bonnet,  wrap  and  furs,  put 
on  her  boots  and  buttoned  them,  was  otherwise 
deft  and  useful;  moved  about  quietly,  facilitating 
her  departure,  thankfulness  within  her  that  soon 
she  was  to  be  left  alone. 

An  inordinately  vain  woman,  Madame  Ron- 
alds regarded  no  detail  of  her  toilet  too  insig- 
nificant to  occupy  her  mind  and  heighten  her  at- 
traction. She  invariably  wore  black,  not  that 
she  considered  it  necessary  to  prolong  her 
mourning,  but  because  she  had  the  French- 
woman's belief  that  nothing  so  admirably  set  off 


58        The  Way  of  Belinda 

the  lines  of  one's  figure,  so  intensified  the  deli- 
cacy of  one's  skin,  and  so  thoroughly  brought 
into  relief  the  beauty  of  white  hair  as  that  sombre 
color.  Madame  Ronalds  could  afford  to  give 
prominence  to  all  these  feminine  points.  Her 
figure  was  straight,  slender  and  wonderfully 
girlish;  her  face,  with  the  faintest  flush  of  pink  in 
each  cheek,  remarkably  free  from  wrinkles; 
while  her  hair,  worn  pompadour,  rolled  off  her 
face  in  heavy  white  masses.  Dark,  penetrating 
eyes  looked  out  from  under  straight  brows,  in 
marked  contrast  to  her  hair.  Mouth  and  nose 
were  aristocratic  and  severe;  so  was  her  chin. 
People  called  her  La  Marquise,  and  she  looked 
the  part,  lived  up  to  it,  too,  on  her  limited  in- 
come. 

She  was  engrossed  now  in  the  process  of  be- 
ing hooked  into  her  velvet  gown,  and  tried  on  at 
least  four  bonnets  before  she  decided  on  the  one 
most  becoming.  She  declared  to  Belinda  that 
after  what  she  had  been  through  it  would  be  re- 
markable if  she  looked  well  to-day  in  anything. 
To  the  girl,  overwrought  and  quivering  in  every 
nerve,  it  was  a  trying  ordeal,  this  attendance  on 
her  grandmother,  but  she  went  through  it  un- 
waveringly, and  at  last  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  her  depart. 


The  Way  of  Belinda        59 

Left  alone,  Belinda  flung  herself  on  the  divan 
and  buried  her  face  deep  in  the  cushions.  For  a 
few  seconds  she  lay  there  rigid,  then  sat  bolt  up- 
right. "A  newspaper  reporter!  A  man  of  the 
lowest  type,"  seemed  emblazoned  in  letters  of 
scarlet  as  she  stared  blankly  at  the  wall.  "  Oh, 
he  isn't,  he  isn't,  he  can't  be!"  she  cried  aloud, 
as  if  the  sound  of  her  voice  strengthened  her 
conviction.  In  leaps  her  mind  traversed  the 
events  since  their  first  meeting.  His  dominant 
personality,  his  voice,  which  affected  her 
strongly.  She  remembered  how  she  had  always 
claimed  special  sensitiveness  to  voices.  His  in- 
spired immediate  trust.  Every  word  of  their 
conversation,  which,  at  the  Denbeighs',  had 
struck  a  personal  note,  rang  in  her  ears.  All  he 
had  said,  all  she  had  said — what  had  she  said? 
Told  him  she  thought  his  work  splendid,  absorb- 
ing, and  other  foolish,  impulsive  things.  Well, 
wasn't  it — the  University  Settlement  work?  and 
was  it  strange  that  she  should  say  so,  with  her 
mind  so  full  of  Mr.  Westcote's  talk?  And  how 
his  face  had  brightened,  his  eyes  deepened,  when 
she  leaned  from  the  carriage  to  say  good-night 
and  au  revoir!  He  had  said  good-by.  The  word 
became  pregnant  with  meaning.  She  jumped 
up  with  an  exclamation.  Good-by! 


60        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Suddenly  the  consciousness  that  she  was 
warding  off  the  truth  in  the  desire  to  deceive 
herself  overwhelmed  her.  Her  grandmother's 
statements,  cruel  though  they  were,  admitted  of 
no  doubt,  supplemented  by  that  hideous  news- 
paper. There  were  the  facts,  bald,  relentless. 
She  knew  she  had  come  to  believe  he  was  guilty, 
though  her  heart  cried  out  protestingly.  So,  all 
the  while  she  was  trusting  him,  he  was  merely 
"  drawing  her  out  to  make  capital  of  her." 
Wasn't  that  what  her  grandmother  said?  How 
she  must  have  amused  him,  and  later,  when 
again  she  fell  so  readily  into  the  trap !  She 
shuddered,  anger  swept  over  her,  humiliation  at 
the  recollection  of  her  friendlessness,  disgust 
that  her  intuitions  had  played  her  false.  In  her 
revulsion  of  feeling,  she  struggled  to  recall  some 
familiarity,  some  impertinence  in  his  manner 
toward  her — that  there  must  have  been  that  sort 
of  thing  was  obvious  since  he  had  turned  out 
such  a  cad.  But  try  as  she  would,  no  look  or 
word  sprang  to  mind  to  his  discredit.  Only  his 
quiet  mastery  of  the  situation,  his  courtesy,  his 
unobtrusive  attention  when  again  they  met,  filled 
her  mind,  a  torrent  flooding  her.  When  she 
thought  good  of  him,  her  reason  censured;  when 
she  thought  evil,  his  deep,  gray  eyes  reproach- 


The  Way  of  Belinda        61 

fully  haunted  her.  Tortured  by  the  desire  to  ex- 
cuse, the  enormity  of  his  offence  came  to  her  with 
a  sort  of  sick  conviction. 

"  Oh,"  she  cried  with  an  hysterical  sob,  "  how 
could  he — how  could  he !" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  She  hath  no  scorn  of  common  things, 
And,  though  she  seem  of  other  birth, 
Round  us  her  heart  intwines  and  clings, 

And  patiently  she  folds  her  wings 
To  tread  the  humble  paths  of  earth." 

LOWELL. 

ESTHER  LOVERING  was  one  of  those  rare 
women  to  whom  life  had  come  to  yield  all  that 
she  desired  of  it.  For  two  years  past  this  beatific 
state  had  existed,  and  in  the  two  years  her  nature 
had  burst  its  outer  shell  of  reserve  and  expanded 
to  the  fulness  and  beauty  of  a  rose. 

Reserve  in  Esther  Lovering  had  been  the  re- 
sult of  repression  rather  than  temperament.  The 
daughter  of  a  physician  who  all  his  life  had  la- 
bored among  the  poor,  whose  ailments  are  many 
and  payments  few,  she  found  herself  at  his  death 
penniless.  Hitherto  her  life,  though  barren  of 
more  than  the  common  necessities,  had  been 
happy  enough  and  rich  in  the  companionship  of 
her  father,  a  genial,  scholarly  man  of  brilliant  at- 


The  Way  of  Belinda       63 

tainments,  who  would  have  made  a  wide  reputa- 
tion had  he  not  always  been  absorbed  in  alle- 
viating the  sufferings  of  the  most  wretched  of  his 
fellow-creatures,  to  the  detriment  of  his  own 
worldly  advancement.  Singularly  enough, 
though  wedded  to  his  profession  and  always 
ready  to  discuss  it  with  his  daughter,  he  discour- 
aged, on  her  part,  any  tendency  to  make  it  her 
own.  Neither  did  he  sanction  her  desire,  since 
medicine  was  denied  her,  to  become  a  trained 
nurse.  He  clung  to  the  old  conservative  view  that 
women,  particularly  women  with  fathers,  should 
be  withheld  from  the  arena;  that  they  were 
developed  and  seen  to  best  advantage  in  the  pro- 
tecting fold  of  domesticity.  That  Esther  might 
some  day  be  fatherless  did  not  seem  to  occur  to 
him.  When,  however,  with  his  death,  the  neces- 
sity of  entering  the  arena  did  arrive  to  his  daugh- 
ter, she  was  not  wholly  unequipped,  for  she  had 
an  uncommonly  good,  all-round  education,  ex- 
celled as  a  linguist,  and  found  no  difficulty  in 
procuring  a  position  as  governess.  If  before  she 
took  this  decisive  step,  and,  indeed,  for  long 
after,  there  were  within  her  yearnings  for  a  pro- 
fessional life,  she  courageously  put  them  aside, 
first,  because  she  could  not  reconcile  her  con- 
science to  deviation  from  her  father's  will,  and 


64       The  Way  of  Belinda 

had  that  reason  not  existed,  the  expense  of  study 
and  the  problem  of  living  during  the  years  neces- 
sary to  fit  herself  for  a  profession  rendered  im- 
possible even  its  serious  contemplation.  Ethi- 
cally and  practically,  the  question  settled  itself. 

Engaged  by  Madame  Ronalds  to  instruct  her 
young  granddaughter,  Esther  Lovering  came  to 
live  in  the  Ronalds's  apartment  at  the  Tyrol, 
feeling  herself  fortunate  to  begin  her  new  life 
amid  such  pleasant  surroundings.  She  was  at 
that  time  a  desperately  lonely  young  woman, 
whose  sorrow  touched  with  gravity  her  pale  face 
and  added  dignity  beyond  her  years  to  her  full, 
tall  figure.  Had  Madame  Ronalds  known  she 
was  but  twenty-five,  it  is  doubtful  if  she  would 
have  taken  her;  but  so  pleased  was  she  with  the 
young  woman's  good  breeding,  her  undoubted 
ability,  and  her  acceptance  of  the  moderate  sal- 
ary offered,  that  she  engaged  her  forthwith  with- 
out further  preliminaries. 

Esther,  in  her  innocence,  had  fancied  she 
would  have  much  delightful  intercourse  with  the 
elegant  and  cultured  madame.  This  illusion 
scarcely  outlived  a  day.  She  was  given  to  under- 
stand that  her  conversation  was  not  desired,  her 
ideas  not  required,  her  voice  not  to  be  heard  ex- 
cept in  response  to  questions  asked.  Thus  thrust 


The  Way  of  Belinda        65 

back  within  herself,  she  would  have  sunk  into 
mental  apathy  but  for  Belinda.  The  repression 
which  Madame  Ronalds  forced  upon  her  gave 
way  before  the  child,  whose  quaint,  eager  little 
face  at  once  captivated  her,  and  whose  nature,  in 
the  developing  of  which  she  was  to  wield  so 
strong  an  influence,  aroused  her  interest.  The 
two  at  once  became  fast  friends,  and  so  studious 
was  the  erstwhile  refractory  Belinda  that 
Madame  Ronalds  was  more  than  satisfied  with 
the  new  arrangement.  Then  followed  ten  profit- 
able, happy  years,  fruitful  alike  for  the  girl  and 
the  governess.  During  this  time,  with  unceasing 
care,  Miss  Levering  trained  the  girl's  mind  and 
body,  and  with  unfailing  love  and  tenderness 
watched  them  grow.  At  the  end  of  the  ten  years 
she  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  tall,  supple, 
healthy,  vigorous  girl,  whose  clear,  honest  eyes 
gazed  fearlessly  out  at  the  world;  whose  curved 
mouth  was  proud,  yet  broke  into  captivating 
lines  to  display  her  dimples;  whose  saucy  nose 
contradicted  the  regularity  of  the  other  features 
of  a  face  whose  expression  varied  with  every 
passing  mood.  Not  strictly  beautiful  was  Be- 
linda, but  above  the  average  in  point  of  attrac- 
tiveness, and  this  Miss  Lovering  knew.  Knew, 
too,  that  the  girl,  though  impulsive,  volatile, 


66        The  Way  of  Belinda 

wilful,  would  at  all  times  be  open  to  reason.  Her 
heart  might  dictate,  but  her  head  would  rule; 
and  it  was  a  sensible  little  head,  stored  with  more 
knowledge  than  was  gleaned  from  books,  for 
much  of  the  wisdom  that  descended  from  Dr. 
Lovering  to  his  daughter  had  been  passed  on  to 
her.  If  in  her  pupil  Miss  Lovering  saw  all  these 
things,  how  much  more  was  it  to  feel  that  the 
girl's  confidence  in  and  love  for  her  had  grown 
with  the  years  until  she  knew  no  dearer  friend. 
Belinda,  among  the  girls  of  her  set,  had  no  inti- 
mates, none  with  whom  she  exchanged  con- 
fidences or  vowed  eternal  friendship.  Many  girls 
she  knew  well,  Leila  Denbeigh,  perhaps,  best  of 
all,  but  on  none  of  them  was  she  in  the  least  de- 
pendent. Naturally,  as  she  did  not  attend  school 
with  them  her  interests  were  somewhat  apart. 
They  met  on  the  common  ground  of  dancing 
school  and  in  the  Park,  but  otherwise  she  saw 
little  of  them,  and  was  more  than  satisfied  with 
Miss  Lovering's  companionship. 

The  season  before  Belinda's  debut  Madame 
Ronalds  had  dismissed  Miss  Lovering.  The  gov- 
erness allowed  her  that  privilege,  though,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  she  might  have  left  at  any  mo- 
ment, and  only  remained  during  that  last  year  at 
the  earnest  solicitation  of  Belinda.  For  Miss 


The  Way  of  Belinda       67 

Levering,  through  a  distant  cousin,  had  come 
into  a  legacy  which  would  yield  her  $1000  a  year. 
The  desire,  inherent  in  her,  to  emulate  her 
father's  example,  and  consecrate  her  life  to  the 
poor,  sprang  up  to  claim  her  unexpressed  activ- 
ity. Hopes  relinquished,  memories  cherished, 
crept  out  from  their  long  hiding.  It  was  like  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  marching  solemnly  be- 
fore her  eyes.  Plans  evolved  themselves,  grew, 
took  definite  shape,  until  one  day,  late  in  the 
summer  of  the  year,  Madame  Ronalds  had  "  dis- 
missed "  her,  she  found  herself  in  possession  of 
the  little  frame  house  in  Rivington  Street  which 
was  to  be  her  home.  At  thirty-six  Esther 
Levering  had  come  into  her  kingdom. 

She  chose  the  summer  to  take  up  her  residence 
in  Rivington  Street,  because  she  felt  that  at  that 
season,  when  the  tenements  empty  their  inmates 
into  the  streets,  she  was  likely  to  learn  more 
quickly  to  know  and  assimilate  with  her  neigh- 
bors. And  this  proved  true.  Throughout  the 
hot  evenings,  when  streets,  sidewalks,  and  door- 
steps swarmed  with  sweltering  humanity,  she 
came  and  went  among  the  people.  Often  she 
joined  a  group  of  women  sitting  on  the  steps  or 
in  chairs  along  the  sidewalk,  scarcely  one  of 
whom  but  held  a  sickly,  ailing  baby  in  her  arms 


68        The  Way  of  Belinda 

and  was  the  mother  of  perhaps  half  a  dozen  more 
playing  in  the  street,  to  whom  she  yelled  admoni- 
tory threats  at  intervals.  Esther  learned  these 
women's  names  and  to  distinguish  their  children 
among  the  multitude;  listened  to  their  talk, 
spoke  with  them  in  their  native  German 
tongue,  which  pleased  them  mightily.  At  first 
when  she  told  them  she  was  their  neighbor  they 
looked  askance,  fearing  she  was  some  fine  lady 
who  was  going  to  pry  curiously  into  their  affairs, 
which  the  poor,  quite  as  well  as  the  rich,  resent. 
But  slowly  she  won  their  confidence,  and  gradu- 
ally the  women  stopped  at  her  steps  to  return  her 
visits,  even  ventured,  the  more  curious,  so  far  as 
to  inspect  the  little  frame  house.  As  for  the  chil- 
dren, Miss  Lovering  won  them  from  the  start. 
They  called  her  "  Miss  Loving,"  and  as  "  Miss 
Loving  "  she  became  known  throughout  the  dis- 
trict. When,  exhausted  from  play,  overheated 
and  overwrought,  she  could  capture  these  young 
ones  from  the  street,  she  would  gather  them 
about  her  and  tell  them  fascinating  stories.  Some 
of  the  children  would  listen  spellbound,  others 
interrupt  with  endless  questions,  others  fall 
asleep;  all  would  be  immensely  benefited  by  this 
quieting  of  their  excitability.  And  what  picnics 
she  took  them  on!  Car-rides  to  the  Battery, 


The  Way  of  Belinda       69 

where  they  visited  the  Aquarium,  played  in  the 
Park,  and  sat  at  the  water's  edge  watching  the 
vessels  go  by.  Then  the  long  car-rides  to  that 
far-distant  country,  Central  Park,  which, 
though  not  four  miles  away,  many  had  never 
seen — a  land  of  delight  where  birds  sang,  squir- 
rels played  hide-and-seek,  strange  animals,  in  the 
Menagerie,  were  to  be  seen  for  the  looking ;  where 
the  children  ran  riot  on  the  grass,  kicking  up 
their  heels  and  tumbling  over  one  another  in  an 
ecstasy  of  joy.  Then  those  red-letter  days  when 
mothers  and  babies,  as  well  as  children,  were 
spirited  out  of  the  hot  city  onto  a  ferryboat  and 
landed  at  one  of  the  beaches,  there  to  spend  in 
idle  enjoyment  a  whole  memorable  day.  Was  it 
any  wonder  "  Miss  Loving "  established  her 
claim  as  neighbor  in  Rivington  Street? 

By  the  autumn  she  had  laid  out  her  plan  of 
work.  It  was  with  the  children  she  showed  espe- 
cial talent;  from  them  she  hoped  most.  She 
began  at  once  with  a  kindergarten,  for  which  she 
procured  a  teacher.  She  found  on  investigation 
that  there  were  many  helpless,  crippled  children 
in  the  tenements  who  were  debarred  from  any 
form  of  education  and  enlightenment  by  their 
inability  to  get  about.  These  became  at  once  her 
special  care;  she  persuaded  their  mothers  or  the 


yo        The  Way  of  Belinda 

older  children  of  the  family  to  carry  them  to  her 
house,  and  her  little  school  became  the  meeting- 
place  of  the  lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blind.  While 
they  in  their  small  way  studied,  she  studied  them 
— minds  and  bodies,  both  wofully  neglected. 
This  led  her  to  get  out  her  father's  medical  books 
and  plunge  into  yet  deeper  study,  with  the  result 
that  she  became  able  to  understand  the  needs  and 
help  to  ease  the  sufferings  of  many  of  her  chil- 
dren. 

Esther  Levering  did  not  stop  with  her  kinder- 
garten, but  formed  clubs  for  children,  little  and 
big,  who  came  to  her  house  from  the  public 
schools  in  the  afternoon.  One  evening  a  week 
she  had  a  mother's  meeting,  and  all  the  other 
evenings  she  was  deep  in  medical  books  when 
not  at  the  beck  and  call  of  the  people  who,  nam- 
ing her  "  Miss  Loving,"  were  finding  in  her 
doctor  and  nurse  as  well  as  friend.  A  busy  life, 
with  no  fixed  method,  but  a  certain  quick  adapta- 
bility, which  enabled  her  to  adjust  herself  to 
whatever  the  moment  demanded,  she  was  con- 
tent to  leave  the  larger  duties  of  organized  work 
to  the  several  social  Settlements  in  her  neigh- 
borhood. 

On  this  particular  afternoon  she  was  to  be  vis- 
ited by  Gerard  Westcote  and  Leila  Denbeigh, 


The  Way  of  Belinda 


7 


who,  in  the  language  of  the  latter,  were  "  doing 
the  slums."  True  to  her  intention,  Leila  had 
made  the  arrangements  for  this  expedition  the 
night  of  the  dance,  and  had  persuaded  her 
mother  to  sanction  it,  greatly  against  that  lady's 
inclination;  but  the  fads  of  a  man  who  was  heir 
to  an  earldom  were  to  be  treated  with  proper 
consideration.  So  Mrs.  Denbeigh  drove  the  two 
down  to  one  of  the  Settlement  houses,  consumed 
all  the  way  through  the  East  Side  with  the  dread 
that  a  bomb  might  be  thrown  into  the  carriage; 
never  venturing  to  look  to  right  or  left  lest  some 
offensive  sight  meet  her  eyes.  On  the  plea  of 
having  a  headache,  she  made  constant  use  of  her 
vinaigrette  all  the  way,  for  who  could  tell  what 
dreadful  germs  one  might  not  inhale  in  that  mis- 
erable quarter,  were  one  not  wise  enough  to  take 
every  possible  precaution.  No  sooner  had  the 
young  people  left  her  than  down  came  the  win- 
dow shades  of  her  carriage,  not  to  be  raised  again 
until,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  she  found  herself  in 
the  safe  and  familiar  region  of  Union  Square. 
As  an  antidote  to  her  unpleasant  drive  she  went 
into  Tiffany's  to  see  how  the  work  was  pro- 
gressing on  a  new  tiara  she  had  ordered,  and 
found  balm  for  her  nerves  in  admiring  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  diamonds  and  the  perfection  with 


72        The  Way  of  Belinda 

which  the  stones  had  been  matched.  Then, 
against  that  dread  moment,  two  hours  hence, 
when  she  was  for  a  second  time  to  jeopardize  her 
life  by  driving  down  for  her  daughter,  she  for- 
tified herself  by  making  calls. 

In  the  meantime  Leila  and  her  escort  were 
paying  visits  of  quite  another  character.  This 
inspection  of  Settlement  houses  would  not  have 
been  termed  by  Westcote  "  doing  the  slums," 
nor,  indeed,  would  any  invasion  of  the  East  Side 
have  been  so  expressed  by  him.  But  the  girl 
experienced  a  certain  excitement,  caused  by  the 
belief  that  she  was  penetrating  the  most 
wretched  quarter  of  the  town,  where  crime  lurked 
in  every  doorway,  and  that  she  was  impressing 
Westcote  by  thus  bravely  exposing  herself,  albeit 
in  a  measure  protected  by  him.  That  the  street 
through  which  they  passed  was  not  offensive  nor 
aggressively  squalid,  but  presented,  on  the 
whole,  a  fairly  respectable  appearance;  that  the 
people  paid  small  heed  to  her  or  Westcote — all 
too  intent  on  their  own  business — astonished 
her.  She  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  of  disap- 
pointment, of  being  defrauded  of  something, 
that  she  attracted  so  little  attention  as  she  went 
along.  Their  first  stop  had  been  at  the  Univer- 


The  Way  of  Belinda        73 

sity  Settlement,  where  Westcote  had  been 
greatly  interested  in  inspecting  the  fine  new 
building,  and  had  had  a  long  talk  with  one  of  the 
resident  workers  in  regard  to  the  growth  and 
scope  of  the  work.  Leila  had  gone  with  the  men 
over  the  building  and  had  said  "  How  nice !  How 
very  interesting!"  and  other  appropriate  ex- 
clamations steadily  at  intervals,  whenever  she 
thought  it  was  expected  of  her.  So  well  feigned 
was  her  animated  interest  that  Westcote  more 
than  once  thought  how  much  more  attractive 
she  was  when  one  got  at  the  serious  side  of  her 
than  in  the  fashionable  atmosphere  where  they 
had  met. 

They  called  at  two  other  Settlement  houses, 
where  Westcote  was  warmly  welcomed  and 
Leila  subjected  to  the  fatigue  of  going  over  the 
houses,  looking  in  on  classes  in  cooking,  sewing, 
music,  wood-carving — a  dozen  industries  with 
which  the  places  teemed.  It  was  her  own  sugges- 
tion that  they  visit  Miss  Lovering,  whom,  as 
Belinda's  governess,  she  had  known  for  years. 
She  had  little  interest  in  her  now,  but  consider- 
able curiosity  to  view  the  scene  of  Belinda's 
adventure. 

They  rang  the  bell  at  the  little  frame  house, 


74        The  Way  of  Belinda 

and  were  ushered  into  a  long,  low  room,  where, 
from  among  a  group  of  children,  Miss  Levering 
rose  to  greet  them.  Her  oval  face  and  large, 
well-shaped  head,  on  which  the  hair  was  parted 
and  drawn  loosely  into  a  knot  behind,  reminded 
Westcote  of  an  old  painting.  Her  mouth  was 
strong  and  sweet,  eyes  serene,  figure  well  poised, 
as  with  firm,  light  step  she  came  forward.  Leila, 
who  had  not  seen  her  for  more  than  a  year, 
scarcely  recognized  her,  she  was  so  changed. 
For  happiness  is  a  great  beautifier,  and  the  soul 
that  expands  in  the  rich  soil  of  ministration  to 
one's  fellow-men  looks  out  through  eyes  soft, 
diffused,  shining. 

"  Mr.  Westcote,"  said  Leila  by  way  of  in- 
troduction, "  is  interested  in  the  poor.  We've 
been  to  all  the  Settlements,  so  I  thought  he'd 
like  to  come  and  see  you — how  you  do  it,  you 
know." 

"  Oh,  hardly  that,  Miss  Lovering,"  remon- 
strated Westcote. 

"  I  don't '  do  it,'  "  replied  Esther,  smiling,  "  in 
any  prescribed  fashion.  There,"  indicating  the 
children,  "  are  a  lot  of  little  scallawags  with 
whom  I've  been  playing  games.  They're  rather 
too  small,  I  think,  to  play  in  the  street,  so  I  try 
and  get  them  inside.  If  you'll  sit  down  aticl  ex- 


The  Way  of  Belinda       75 

cuse  me  a  moment  I'll  turn  them  out  for  awhile 
in  my  back  yard." 

The  children  scattered  into  the  entry,  where 
she  bundled  them  into  wraps  and  sent  them  out 
a  rear  door.  Returning,  she  said  simply : 

"  I  believe  there  can't  be  too  much  whole- 
some play  for  the  little  ones." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  Westcote  replied, 
"  though  my  views  are  somewhat  theoretical,  as 
I've  had  no  experience  with  children." 

"  They  are  my  particular  study  and  care,"  the 
woman  said  earnestly.  "  The  necessity  of  start- 
ing them  right  is  so  great.  Their  possibilities — 
have  you  ever  thought  of  it? — are  enormous." 

"  Yes,  I've  thought  of  it,"  he  said  warmly, 
"  thought  much  of  it,  without,  I'm  ashamed  to 
say,  practical  results." 

Leila,  who  foresaw  a  prolonged  discussion  in 
which  she  was  likely  to  play  no  part,  brought  it 
to  an  abrupt  close  by  rising  with  the  remark  that 
they  were  to  meet  her  mother  at  the  University 
Settlement  and  must  at  once  take  their  depart- 
ure. She  nodded  patronizingly  to  Miss  Lov- 
ering,  but  Westcote  offered  his  hand,  and 
begged  with  more  warmth  than  Leila  thought 
the  occasion  demanded  to  be  allowed  to  come 
again.  She  whisked  him  out  and  away  up  the 


7  6        The  Way  of  Belinda 

street  to  where  the  Denbeigh  carriage,  with  one 
liveried  man  on  the  box  and  another  at  the  door, 
was  waiting.  And  there  Mrs.  Denbeigh  had  the 
infinite  satisfaction  of  greeting  them  whole  and 
uninjured  after  what  she  regarded  as  their  peril- 
ous journey  into  the  lower  world. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  The  secret  of  our  emotions  never  lies  in  the 
bare  object,  but  in  its  subtle  relations  to  our  own 
past." 

GEORGE  ELIOT. 

MYRIADS  of  tulip  lights  shed  their  soft  radiance 
over  a  room  rapidly  filling  with  men  and  women 
talking  gaily  as  they  seated  themselves  in  rows 
of  chairs  arranged  for  them.  There  was  a  lively, 
anticipatory  feeling  in  the  air,  bred  of  the  knowl- 
edge that  the  host  of  the  evening,  Ronalds 
Castleton,  always  served  up  something  piquant 
in  the  way  of  an  evening's  entertainment.  His 
studio  had  been  the  scene  of  more  clever  ama- 
teur "  first  appearances  "  than  any  other  one  spot 
in  town.  Professionals,  too,  could  always  be 
counted  on  to  do  something  original  there,  and 
rarely  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance  when  they 
had  promised  to  sing  or  dance  for  him.  People 
said  Ronalds  Castleton  could  persuade  Diana 
herself  to  come  down  off  the  tower  of  the  Madi- 


78        The  Way  of  Belinda 

son  Square  Garden  and  "  do  a  turn  "  for  him  if 
he  liked — he  had  a  way  with  him. 

His  way  to-night  was  likely  to  be  a  disappoint- 
ment to  some  of  his  guests,  who  knew  not  that 
he  had  arranged  his  programme  with  a  view  to 
the  fact  that  his  aunt,  Madame  Ronalds,  was  to 
be  among  their  number.  Madame  Ronalds  tol- 
erated her  nephew's  entertainments,  such  as  she 
had  seen,  but  she  had  not  allowed  Belinda  to 
attend  them  during  her  first  season.  The  mod- 
ern tendency  of  society  to  be  Bohemian  she  held 
with  aversion,  and  expressed  herself  strongly  on 
this  point  to  her  nephew,  who  refused  to  get 
drawn  into  an  argument  with  her  and  made 
laughing  rejoinders  to  most  that  she  said. 
Madame  Ronalds  thought  her  nephew  had  an 
exasperating  way  of  taking  all  things,  conversa- 
tional or  otherwise,  lightly.  He  refused  to  bow 
the  knee  to  her;  to  Money,  her  god;  to  Society, 
her  religion;  likewise  refused  to  live  by  pre- 
scribed rule.  What,  he  would  ask  of  his  aunt,  La 
Marquise,  was  the  advantage  of  being  a  Ronalds 
Castleton  if  one  could  not  be  a  law  unto  one's 
self? 

So  he  went  his  own  way;  a  way  inoffensive, 
unoffending — gay,  debonaire,  rich,  interested  in 
all  things,  dabbling  in  many,  doing  most  uncorn- 


The  Way  of  Belinda       79 

monly  well,  a  dilettante,  popular  alike  with  men 
and  women. 

He  gave  Belinda  a  smile  of  approbation  as, 
with  her  grandmother,  she  entered  the  room. 
He  liked  the  corn-colored  gown  she  wore,  noted 
how  admirably  it  set  off  her  wavy,  brown  hair 
and  creamy  skin,  thought  her  a  delicious  study 
in  color.  He  was  fond  of  Belinda — never  more 
so  than  when  she  satisfied  his  artistic  taste. 

His  programme  that  night  was  short,  crisp, 
and  varied,  but  it  contained  no  particularly  novel 
or  startling  features.  A  clever  little  English  girl 
did  some  "  imitations,"  and  a  cleverer  French-, 
woman  sang  songs  which,  though  quite  the 
mildest  in  her  repertoire,  made  Madame  Ronalds 
regret  she  had  brought  Belinda.  There  was 
skirt  dancing,  notably  by  Reggie  Dunn,  who 
that  night  leaped  into  fame.  They  all  said  he  was 
the  prettiest  girl  imaginable  and  could  dance 
like  a  sylph.  No  one  had  suspected  such  possi- 
bilities of  Reggie.  He  shared  the  honors  of  the 
evening  with  Sally  Scarborough,  who  did  a 
Spanish  dance  quite  different  from  any  of  those 
with  which  during  the  season  she  had  been  en- 
chanting her  set.  That  Sally  Scarborough  and 
Reggie  Dunn  should  permit  their  names  to  go 
down  on  a  programme  with  professionals  was  to 


80        The  Way  of  Belinda 

Madame  Ronalds  more  shocking  than  the  ex- 
hibitions they  made  of  themselves.  Interlarded 
with  these  was  music  in  a  more  serious  vein.  A 
prima  donna,  with  a  reputation  for  reserve,  sang 
a  group  of  French  chansonettes  with  such  pathos, 
spirit,  and  abandon  that  she  carried  everything 
before  her.  Instinctively  artists  were  at  their  best 
in  Ronalds  Castleton's  studio;  they  liked  the 
atmosphere,  and  they  liked  him.  Vrodi,  the 
Hungarian,  compelled  silence  from  the  audience 
by  the  enthralling  music  which  only  a  Tzigan 
knows  how  to  draw  from  his  violin.  In  his  pic- 
turesque, native  costume  he  stood  before  them, 
gazing  beyond  them  with  eyes  that  saw  not,  his 
heart  going  out  in  the  strains  of  exquisite,  in- 
sistent melody — now  fiery,  now  plaintive,  now 
tender — the  whole  gamut  of  emotions — his  soul 
wafted  back  to  his  own  beloved  plains,  where 
about  some  ruddy,  gypsy  fire  his  tribe  were  gath- 
ered. Belinda  could  see  it  all — feel  in  every  deep, 
passionate  note  the  throb  of  his  people.  Uncon- 
scious that  she  was  observed  by  a  man  standing 
over  against  the  wall,  she  sat  with  head  bent  for- 
ward, lips  parted,  eyes  dreamy,  her  whole  atti- 
tude one  of  rapt  absorption  in  the  thrilling  har- 
monies. Lifted  far  above  earth,  the  soul  of  the 
girl  leaped  out  to  illumine  her  face. 


The  Way  of  Belinda        81 

The  man  gazed  at  her,  while  over  him  swept  a 
tumult  of  feeling,  so  delicious,  so  exquisite,  so 
startling,  that  he  felt  he  must  flee  from  the  sight 
of  her  forever.  He  half  turned  and  then  let  his 
eyes  go  back  to  her  with  an  inward  laugh  of  con- 
tempt that  he  should  again  forget  that  she  and 
he  did  not  inhabit  the  same  planet;  that  he  should 
have  taken  himself  so  seriously  as  for  a  second  to 
have  had  thoughts  of  bolting  for  the  door. 

The  programme  ended,  supper  was  served  at 
small  tables.  Belinda  sat  with  Miss  Scarbor- 
ough, Reggie  Dunn,  and  a  young  playwright 
who  was  achieving  an  international  reputation. 
She  was  greatly  enjoying  herself,  for  she  liked 
the  people  whom  she  met  at  her  cousin  Ronalds's 
— clever  people  who  talked  and  were  interesting 
and  did  things,  and  she  had  on  this  particular 
evening  a  feeling  of  exhilaration  in  the  con- 
sciousness that  she  should  be  free  from  the  so- 
ciety of  Dan  Denbeigh.  Her  cousin  Ronalds 
never  entertained  the  Denbeighs,  least  of  all  Dan, 
whom  he  thought  an  insufferable  young  parvenu. 
Carefully  to  avoid  unpleasant  people  was  part  of 
Ronalds  Castleton's  creed.  So  Belinda,  who  was 
beginning  to  feel  persecuted  by  Dan,  revelled  in 
the  delight  of  an  evening  without  him.  She  was 
paying  the  pretty  compliment  to  the  playwright 


82        The  Way  of  Belinda 

of  interested  discussion  of  his  last  comedy  when, 
at  the  end  of  supper,  her  cousin  Ronalds  came  up 
and  took  her  away. 

"  Aunt  Maud  told  me  to  bring  you  over  to 
her,"  he  said  explanatorily  as  they  crossed  the 
studio,  from  which  the  little  tables  were  vanish- 
ing, as  if  by  magic,  and  the  room  was  rapidly  re- 
suming its  normal  appearance.  "  She's  talking 
to  a  chap  who's  taken  her  fancy.  Wants  you  to 
meet  him.  Blake — Jerry  Blake — good  sort. 
Ever  hear  me  speak  of  him?  No?  It's  rather  a 
joke — aunt's  taking  to  him — remind  me  to  tell 
you  about  that  some  time.  Here  he  is  in  the 
flesh." 

They  had  threaded  their  way  to  a  corner, 
where,  in  a  big,  high-backed  Florentine  chair, 
Madame  Ronalds  sat  enthroned,  Jerry  Blake  on 
a  low,  long  seat  in  front  paying  court  to  her.  He 
rose  before  they  quite  reached  him.  He  had  no 
idea  as  to  who  the  girl  might  be  for  whom,  the 
woman  had  sent,  but  instinctively  he  felt  her 
presence. 

"  Ah,  Ronalds,  you  found  her !"  said  his  aunt. 
"  Belinda,"  to  the  girl,  "  I  want  to  present  Mr. 
Blake  to  you — my  granddaughter,  Miss  Leigh, 
Mr.  Blake." 

Conventionally  they  met.     The    glance   they 


The  Way  of  Belinda        83 

exchanged  was  to  one  painful  pleasure,  to  the 
other,  pleasurable  pain. 

Belinda  flushed  scarlet.  Then  every  vestige  of 
color  left  her  face.  She  had  not  yet  spoken,  and 
Blake,  to  relieve  the  situation,  summoned  his 
forces  and  said : 

"  Did  you  enjoy  the  music,  Miss  Leigh?  " 
which  struck  him  as  about  as  inane  a  remark  as 
he  could  have  made.  He  was  in  nowise  prepared 
for  the  girl's  reply. 

"  What  I  enjoy  or  do  not  enjoy  is  not  a  matter 
that  concerns  you  in  the  least,"  she  said  haugh- 
tily, and  was  about  to  turn  away  when  her  grand- 
mother, who  had  been  talking  to  her  nephew, 
now  vanishing,  and  had  not  heard  this,  said : 

"  Sit  down,  Belinda.  I  want  you  to  know  Mr. 
Blake.  I  find  he's  the  grandson  of  Judge  Pey- 
ton, who  was  a  dear  old  friend  of  mine,  and  comes 
from  Peytonville,  where  I  spent  so  much  time  as 
a  girl.  We've  pretty  thoroughly  dissected  Pey- 
tonville, past  and  present.  Ancient  history,  eh ! 
Mr.  Blake?  "  with  the  air  of  one  expecting  to  be 
contradicted. 

"  Scarcely  that,  Madame  Ronalds,  with  you  as 
its  central  figure,"  he  said  with  a  grace  that 
would  not  have  done  discredit  to  his  courtly  an- 
cestor, the  judge.  He  detested  himself  in  this 


84        The  Way  of  Belinda 

role,  and  longed  to  escape  from  her  and  the  girl, 
who  sat  rigid  in  her  seat,  unheeding  him,  whose 
one  remark  rankled  in  his  soul,  turning  him  now 
hot,  now  cold. 

"  You  have  never  been  to  Peytonville,  have 
you,  Belinda?  "  said  her  grandmother,  still  remi- 
niscent. 

"  Peytonville?  "  coolly;  "  I  think  not,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  I  must  take  you  some  time.  It  is  one  of  the 
few  truly  aristocratic  villages  we  have.  Won't 
you  sit  down,  Mr.  Blake?  "  to  the  man,  who  was 
planning  his  escape.  "  Belinda  will,  I  am  sure, 
make  room  for  you,"  with  a  comprehensive 
glance  at  the  long  seat  which  the  man  had 
vacated  in  the  girl's  favor. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  think  I  must 
be  saying  good-night."  He  bowed  and  would 
have  left  without  further  speech,  but  Madame 
Ronalds  laid  a  detaining  hand  on  him. 

"  You  must  come  and  see  me,"  she  said  gra- 
ciously; "  I  shall  expect  you  next  Thursday — 
our  day." 

"  Thank  you,"  again  he  said,  and  this  time 
escaped. 

Every  one  was  departing.  Out  of  the  corner 
of  her  eye  Belinda  saw  Blake  speak  to  many  per- 


The  Way  of  Belinda        85 

sons  as  he  passed  through  the  room.  Quite  the 
prettiest  girl  present,  a  young  actress  who  had 
recently  become  the  fashion,  stopped  him,  and 
he  lingered  for  some  time  beside  her,  far  longer 
than  was  at  all  necessary,  Belinda  thought. 

But  what  Belinda  thought  and  what  she  didn't 
think  were  past  taking  account  of.  Her  brain 
whirled.  To  be  presented  in  her  cousin's  studio 
by  Nana — Nana,  of  all  people !  to  a  guest  deep  in 
conversation  and  high  in  favor  with  that  exclu- 
sive relative — a  guest  who  was  none  other  than 
the  man  who  had  insulted  her  by  the  publication 
of  that  offensive  newspaper  story,  was,  beyond 
all  words,  astonishing.  That  this  same  guest — 
how  did  he  happen  to  know  cousin  Ronalds? — 
should  have  the  effrontery  to  speak  to  her  was 
no  more  astounding  than  that  he  should  palm 
himself  off  on  her  fastidious  grandmother ! 

Had  Belinda  been  an  older  woman,  or  the 
situation  less  vital  to  her,  she  might  have  seen 
that  it  had  its  humorous  side.  Surely  there  was 
something  very  nearly  approaching  comedy  in 
the  friendliness  bordering  on  effusion  of  Madame 
Ronalds  for  a  "  common  newspaper  reporter;" 
in  presenting  to  Belinda  and  inviting  to  her 
house  a  person  whom  she  had  herself  designated 
as  "  a  man  of  the  lowest  type."  Add  to  this  the 


86        The  Way  of  Belinda 

offence  of  which  she  believed  him  guilty,  and  the 
thing  became  farcical. 

But  Belinda  could  not  laugh- — could  not  even 
see  that  she  might  laugh  if  she  would.  It  was 
not  her  misfortune  to  be  devoid  of  a  sense  of 
humor,  but  in  common  with  many  another,  she 
had  only  so  much  of  it  as  enabled  her  to  see  the 
ludicrous  in  the  affairs  of  others.  She  could  not, 
as  Meredith  says,  "  be  twisted  to  laugh  at  her- 
self " — not  now;  though  the  time  came  when  she 
could,  whereby  she  gained  in  breadth  and  phi- 
losophy. 

On  the  way  home  from  her  cousin's  studio  she 
was  soundly  berated  by  her  irate  grandmother 
for  her  lack  of  interest  in  Mr.  Blake.  She  bore  it 
meekly.  What  withheld  her  from  revealing  his 
identity,  why  she  thus  chose  to  shield  him,  she 
didn't  know.  She  had  never  been  able  to  analyze 
her  feelings  toward  him  from  the  beginning. 
For  the  life  of  her  she  couldn't  help  taking  a 
secret  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge  that  she  had 
not  been  mistaken  in  thinking  him  a  gentleman 
— at  least  outwardly.  He  wore  his  evening 
clothes  like  one  to  the  manner  born.  He  was  to 
the  manner  born.  How  handsome  he  looked — 
a  Peyton  of  Peytonville!  What  a  pity  that  a 
man  like  that  should  fall  so  low !  How  startled, 


The  Way  of  Belinda       87 

just  for  a  second,  he  had  looked  when  they  were 
presented.  No  wonder!  At  least  he  had  the 
saving  grace  of  a  guilty  conscience — and  she 
fancied  she  did  not  long  leave  him  in  doubt  as  to 
how  she  felt.  The  insolence  of  the  man  at  once 
to  begin  again  trying  to  draw  her  out  about  the 
music !  How  crimson,  way  to  the  ears,  he  went 
at  that  one  cutting  remark  of  hers !  She  gloated 
over  his  discomfiture,  at  least  she  tried  to  believe 
she  did. 

"  Oh !"  she  inwardly  cried,  "  I  hate  him,  I  hate 
him,  I  hate  him !" 

Which  shows  how  little  this  would-be-wise 
Belinda  knew. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  Controversy  never  convinced  any  man ;  they 
can  be  influenced  by  making  them  think  for  them- 
selves ...  by  leading  them  as  if  by  the  hand, 
without  their  perceiving  it." 

VOLTAIRE. 

"  BLAKE,"  said  Castleton,  "  pull  up  to  the  fire 
and  make  yourself  at  home.  Will  you  smoke? 
Help  yourself,"  pushing  toward  him  a  low  table 
laden  with  smoking  paraphernalia.  "  Cigar, 
cigarette,  or  pipe?  We'll  please  ourselves  now 
the  rabble's  gone." 

Castleton  had  changed  his  evening  coat  for  a 
smoking-jacket,  and  was  filling  his  pipe  as  he 
talked.  Having  lighted  it,  he  threw  on  the  floor 
a  lot  of  cushions  and  proceeded  to  stretch  his 
long,  lazy  form  on  them,  piling  the  greatest 
number  under  his  head  and  shoulders.  To  thus 
sprawl  before  his  fire  was  one  of  his  chief  de- 
lights. 

Blake,  from  the  depths  of  a  big  chair,  looked 
admiringly  at  him. 


The  Way  of  Belinda       89 

"  You  have  a  talent  for  arranging  yourself," 
he  said. 

"  Why  not?  It  is  to  be  studied  like  the  rest  of 
the  arts." 

"  On  the  principle  that  all  things  were  or- 
dained for  the  sole  comfort  of  man?  " 

"  Precisely." 

Each,  for  a  long  while,  smoked  in  silence,  after 
the  manner  of  men  who  do  not  find  incessant 
speech  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  of  each 
other's  society. 

Blake,  gazing  into  the  fire,  saw  in  the  flames 
mocking,  fantastic  shapes.  The  burning  drift- 
wood was  shooting  out  tongues  of  violet,  green, 
crimson,  brightest  blue — a  veritable  rainbow 
leaping  up  the  chimney.  It  captivated  his 
imagination.  In  the  piled-up  logs  he  seemed  to 
see,  melting  before  his  eyes,  ships  of  story  which 
he  had  so  loved  as  a  boy.  The  old  Ark  borne 
along  on  a  flood  of  light  now  settling  down  for- 
ever on  that  Ararat  of  ashes;  the  Argonaut  tip- 
pling along  after  the  Golden  Fleece;  the  Santa 
Maria — that  little  jet  of  fire  trying  hard  to  crawl 
out  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  log  hitherto  un- 
touched was  Columbus  making  the  point — 
America  discovered.  Out  of  that  steady,  bril- 
liant crimson  flame  flashed  old  Blake's  frigate 


90        The  Way  of  Belinda 

heading  his  fleet  as  it  swooped  down  on  the  stub- 
born Dutch  enemy.  Jerry  could  hear  his  immor- 
tal order  to  his  crew :  "  If  any  man  among  you 
flinches  from  his  duty,  throw  him  overboard; 
and  if  I  fail  in  my  duty  throw  me  overboard  first 
of  all !"  As  a  boy  how  that  had  thrilled  him !  how 
it  thrilled  him  now !  And  how,  to  the  other  boys, 
he  used  to  brag  of  his  direct  descent  from  the 
great  English  admiral.  Many  a  fist-to-fist  tussle 
he'd  had  championing  his  illustrious  ancestor. 
Gazing  on,  Jerry  beheld  the  Mayflower  toiling 
her  weary  way  across  the  Atlantic  to  grope  at 
last  among  the  perilous  sands  and  fogs  of  the 
Massachusetts  coast.  A  smouldering  log,  out  of 
which  suddenly  leaped  a  defiant  curl  of  blue 
flame,  was  nothing  less  than  the  sublimation  of 
the  knees  of  the  Constitution  or  the  deck  of  the 
Chesapeake.  Hark  to  Lawrence's  "  Don't  give 
up  the  ship !"  Timber  feeding  timber  in  the  fire- 
place now  burst  into  a  roaring  conflagration,  out 
of  which  sailed  a  huge,  old-fashioned  line-of-bat- 
tle  ship  spouting  flame  from  every  port,  while 
her  crew — what  was  left  of  them — hurried  away 
in  shattered  boats.  One  little  waif  lingered: 
"  Father,  shall  I  stay?  "  Rigging,  sails,  shrouds, 
masts,  yards,  roared  in  a  mass  of  flames.  Jerry 
actually  drew  back  as  if  to  secure  safety.  With 


The  Way  of  Belinda       91 

a  snap  the  wood  fell — up  the  chimney  floated  the 
spirit  of  the  loyal  Cassabianca. 

Roused  by  unconscious  movement  to  a  con- 
sciousness of  his  surroundings,  Jerry  blinked  and 
stretched  his  arms. 

"  Been  asleep?  "  asked  Castleton  lazily. 

"  Shouldn't  wonder,"  responded  Blake,  re- 
lapsing into  silence.  He  stared  abstractedly  at 
Castleton — beyond  him,  about  the  room — fixing 
his  gaze  at  last  upon  a  low,  narrow  seat.  There 
she  had  sat,  there  he  had  sat  before  she  came. 
There  he  had  stood,  his  very  heart  smiling  as  she 
approached;  there  the  smile  twisted  into  pain  at 
her  cruel  little  speech.  There  with  swift  dismay 
had  come  to  him  the  realization  that  she  held  him 
guilty  of  that  miserable  newspaper  offence. 
There  for  the  hundredth  time  since  first  they  met 
had  he  been  tortured  deliciously  by  the  thought 
of  her.  He  dragged  his  eyes  from  the  seat  and 
turned  to  Castleton. 

"  I  was  an  ass,"  he  said,  "  to  come." 

"Here?"  queried  his  host.  "Thanks,  old 
man." 

"  To  your  vaudeville,"  explained  Blake. 

"  Wasn't  it  up  to  the  mark?  Did  it  bore 
you?  "  inquired  his  host  with  mock  solicitude. 

"  It  was  mighty  good,  Castleton,  but  it's  all 


92        The  Way  of  Belinda 

out  of  my  line — society — you  know  that  as  well 
as  I  do.  I've  no  business  poking  my  head  into 
it." 

"  Then  why  did  you  come?  "  asked  his  host, 
indolently  getting  up  on  an  elbow  to  look  at  him. 

"  Because  I'm  an  ass." 

"  So  you  remarked  before.  Couldn't  you  be 
a  bit  more  explicit? — though  I'm  satisfied  with 
your  first  reason  if  you  are." 

"  I  came,"  said  Blake  savagely,  "  because  it's  a 
year  since  I've  met  a  woman  on  a  footing  of  so- 
cial equality,  and  I  wanted  to  convince  myself 
that  I  still  had  the  right." 

"  Well?  "  interrogated  his  host. 

"  Well,"  repeated  Blake,  "  I'm  convinced.  I 
have  the  right,  though  it  would  be  disputed  by 
two-thirds  of  the  women  to  whom  you  were  good 
enough  to  present  me,  one  of  whom  would  deny 
it  altogether." 

"  Oh,  come  now,"  said  Castleton;  "  what's  got 
on  your  nerves,  old  man?  " 

"  Rarified  air." 

"Umph!"  grunted  Castleton;  "which,  being 
interpreted,  means?  " — 

"  That  you're  a  brick,  Castleton." 

"  And  can  mind  my  own  business,  eh?  Have 
a  fresh  cigar,  Blake,"  said  his  host,  ever  thought- 
ful. 


The  Way  of  Belinda       93 

"  Castleton,"  said  the  younger  man,  "  from  a 
purely  ethical  standpoint  it's  a  rattling  good 
thing  for  a  man  like  me  to  know  a  man  like  you. 
You  represent  everything  I  am  not." 

"  Hang  ethics !  The  personal  standpoint  is 
good  enough  for  me." 

"  Do  you  recollect  the  first  time  I  came  here  ?  " 
said  Blake,  smiling  down  at  him.  "  Quite  six 
years  ago,  wasn't  it?  I  was  a  cub  then,  awed  at 
the  thought  of  interviewing  such  a  swell.  You 
were  entertaining  that  French  politician.  All 
the  reporters  were  after  him,  but  he  couldn't 
speak  a  word  of  English,  and  our  French  is 
shaky.  He  was  here  in  your  studio  when  I  came 
— you  were  more  than  decent — helped  me  out 
with  my  French,  and  between  you  I  got  a  col- 
umn, the  first  really  good  story  I'd  had."  He 
spoke  in  a  nervous,  rapid  fashion,  to  which  in 
strong  contrast  was  the  lazy  drawl  of  the  other's 
voice  as  he  said : 

"  Took  a  fancy  to  you.  You  were  such  a  nice 
chap — so  unmistakably  a  gentleman." 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  Blake  sharply. 

"  A  gentleman?  Well,  you  see,  up  to  that  mo- 
ment my  experience  of  reporters  had  been  lim- 
ited to  the  other  kind."  Castleton  sat  up  and 
knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe.  "  Now,  don't 


94        The  Way  of  Belinda 

feel  called  upon  to  take  up  the  cudgels  in  defence 
of  the  fraternity,  I  beg  of  you.  I  know  there  are 
more  of  your  ilk." 

"  When  I  was  a  cub,"  said  Blake,  "  I  was  ready 
to  fight  any  man,  woman,  or  child  who  cast  slurs 
on  my  profession.  I  wanted  to  parade  the  streets 
with  signs  placarded  all  over  me — *  I  am  a  re- 
porter and  a  gentleman ' — particularly  the  up- 
town streets,  where  the  women  are  and  young 
girls  who  might  grow  up  to  be  less  ignorant  than 
their  mothers.  And  I  used  to  want  to  get  the 
men  together  and  ask  them  if  in  every  business 
and  profession  there  were  not  men  of  good 
breeding  and  men  of  no  breeding  whatever?  Why 
was  my  profession  the  only  one  stigmatized?  I 
was  very  young,  you  see,"  he  said  with  a  laugh, 
"  and  most  of  us  in  our  youth  have  foolish  no- 
tions of  enlightening  the  world." 

Castleton,  gazing  into  the  fire,  made  no  com- 
ment. He  had  had  enthusiasms  once.  Presently 
he  said : 

"  How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  at  report- 
ing? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Blake;  "  why?  " 

"  You  can  do  better  work." 

"  I  don't  begin  to  do  as  good  work  as  many 
of  the  men  in  the  office." 


The  Way  of  Belinda       95 

"  You  are  considered  one  of  their  star  report- 
ers. I  know  it  authoritatively." 

Blake  flushed  with  pleasure. 

"  I've  had  my  eye  on  you,  old  man.  That  vet- 
eran Harmon  speaks  of  you  as  a  shining  light. 
You  don't  mean  to  stick  to  reporting  forever?  " 

"  There  are  the  editorial  places,"  said  Blake. 
"  Most  reporters  regard  them  as  goals." 

"Well  enough,"  agreed  Castleton;  "but  I've 
a  notion,  Blake,  that  you  can  afford  to  strike 
out  in  an  independent  line.  You've  breadth, 
originality,  and  a  strong  creative  faculty — don't 
you  feel  it  in  you?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  younger  man  with  a  quick  in- 
drawing  of  his  breath,  "  I  do." 

"  Try  your  hand  at  something  serious,  some- 
thing you  can  put  your  name  to.  The  stuff  you 
do  now  is  clever,  and  I'd  be  the  last  man  to  de- 
preciate it,  but  you've  done  enough  of  it,  it's  all 
swallowed  up  in  the  files  of  your  newspaper.  I 
want  something  with  your  name  to  it.  Doesn't 
Jerry  Blake,  Author,  tickle  your  fancy?  " 

"Not  a  bit,"  laughed  Jerry,  who,  neverthe- 
less, was  stirred  to  his  depths.  Then  he  said 
soberly : 

"  I  haven't  time  for  ventures,  Castleton;  from 
II  A.M.  till  past  midnight  I'm  working  at  full 


96        The  Way  of  Belinda 

steam  except  on  my  one  off  day,  when  I  wouldn't 
touch  a  pencil  for  a  million." 

"  Suppose  not,"  assented  Castleton. 

"  It's  odd  this  should  have  come  up  to-night," 
continued  Blake.  "  I  was  offered  a  job  in  a  pub- 
lishing house  this  morning.  Easy  work,  respec- 
table hours,  good  pay.  They  want  young  blood 
in  the  office,  I  heard." 

"You  refused  it?" 

"  I  did." 

"  You  young  imbecile !" 

"  You  think  so?  I'm  sorry.  It  was  rather 
tempting,  but,  you  see,  I  had  visions  of  growing 
lazy  and  stupid  and  fat.  Too  great  a  risk  to  run, 
wasn't  it?  "  Then  with  a  swift  change  of  tone: 
"  Castleton,  I  like  my  work,  its  light  and  shade, 
its  horrors  and  its  pleasures — every  phase  of  it  is 
fascinating  in  its  variedness.  In  the  beginning 
there  were  sides  of  it  that  disgusted  me,  but  I'm 
hardened,  and  the  rest  is  pure  delight.  You 
think  I  have  the  creative  faculty.  Perhaps  I  have. 
Sometimes  I  think  so.  But  what  I  know  I  have 
is  the  news  instinct,  without  which  a  man  is  not 
worth  a  ha'penny  in  Newspaper  Row.  I  don't  to 
this  day  go  out  on  a  story  without  the  scent  of 
the  battle  strong  in  my  nostrils;  never  enter  the 
office  without  a  thrill  of  joy  that  I'm  part  of  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda       97 

machine.  Hang  it,  man,  I'm  attached  to  every 
nook  and  corner,  every  dirty  desk  and  table  and 
chair  in  the  grimy  old  place."  He  stopped, 
abashed  at  such  unusual  self-revelation. 

"Oh,  if  it's  like  that,"  remarked  Castleton 
good-naturedly,  "  you'll  stick  to  the  job." 

He  got  up  from  the  fire,  and  going  over  to  the 
piano,  idly  struck  a  few  chords,  melting  off  into  a 
low,  plaintive  melody. 

"  Why  don't  you  write?  "  asked  Blake,  turn- 
ing on  him. 

"  I  do,"  from  the  piano. 

"  I  know,  but  I  mean  something  serious, 
something  you  can  put  your  name  to,"  quizzi- 
cally. "  You  do  all  things  well,  Castleton.  Why 
not  some  better?  "  he  hazarded  earnestly. 

"  Because,"  remarked  the  older  man,  playing 
on,  "  it  is  not  my  role  to  be  serious.  I've  no  in- 
clination for  work — no  incentive." 

"  You're  an  indefatigable  worker,  in  your 
way,"  retorted  Blake. 

"  The  fairies  at  my  birth,"  went  on  Castleton, 
unheeding,  "  put  a  jester's  cap  on  my  infant 
head,  a  bauble  in  my  hand — I've  jingled  my  bells 
ever  since.  It  is  all  life  exacts  of  me.  Because  I 
threw  out  a  sensible  remark  about  you,  Blake, 
don't  make  the  fatal  mistake  of  taking  me  se- 


9  8        The  Way  of  Belinda 

riously.  In  certain  moods  I'm  an  ideal  preacher 
— a  role  any  babe  could  play — but  as  for  practis- 
ing " —  He  broke  into  a  gay  fantasie,  impro- 
vising as  he  went  along,  playing  fast  and 
furiously,  to  end  in  a  crashing  chord.  "  There 
you  have  me,"  turning  in  his  seat,  "  set  to 
music." 

Blake  laughed.  "  You're  better  than  your 
vaudeville." 

"  Which  was  better  than  my  guests,  eh?  How 
did  my  august  relative,  Madame  Ronalds,  im- 
press you?  " 

"  As  rather  an  uncommon  type  in  this  coun- 
try— she  looked  French,  the  grande  dame — that 
sort  of  thing." 

"  Exactly.  The  old  regime — she's  called  *  La 
Marquise/ ' 

"  That  pictures  her." 

"  She's  remarkably  well  preserved  for  a  grand- 
mother. I  thought  she'd  interest  you,  you're  so 
keen  on  types.  She  took  a  fancy  to  you.  Family 
failing,  isn't  it?  I  told  her  you  were  a  brilliant 
young  journalist.  She  has  only  the  vaguest  idea 
what  that  means.  If  I'd  said  you  were  a  reporter 
she'd  have  fainted.  Rather  a  good  one  on  her, 
wasn't  it?  " 

"  Yes,"  assented  Blake,  who  knew  it  was  hu- 


The  Way  of  Belinda       99 

morous,  though  he  felt  a  sudden  pressure  on  a 
very  tender  spot ;  "  but  I'd  rather  stand  in  my 
own  shoes." 

To  this  his  host  agreed  while  explaining  that 
his  aunt's  ideas  were  antediluvian. 

"  She  tried  to  swamp  Belinda  in  them,  but 
somehow  the  girl  became  emancipated.  There's 
a  girl  of  the  period  for  you,  Blake !  A  bewitch- 
ing young  thing — I'm  in  love  with  her — and  so 
much  good  sense  tucked  away  in  her  little  head. 
The  poor  child  was  in  terrible  disgrace  with  her 
grandmother  after  that  Globe  story.  You  saw  it, 
I  suppose?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Blake. 

"  We  all  ignored  it — the  only  thing  to  do — 
but  Belinda  took  it  hard.  She  had  confidence, 
you  see,  in  that  cad  who  pretended  to  befriend 
her.  It  was  her  first  experience  in  being  de- 
ceived in  human  nature." 

"  Must  be  getting  along,"  declared  Blake,  ris- 
ing abruptly. 

"  Good-night,"  shaking  his  proffered  hand. 
"  Come  again,"  heartily.  "  It's  months  since 
I've  seen  you.  Once  a  year  is  not  often  enough 
to  meet  women  on  a  footing  of  social  equality." 
He  laughed.  "  Gad !  but  you're  a  queer  one ! 
Good-night,  old  chap,  good-night." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  Golden  wires  may  annoy  us  as  much  as  steel  bars 
If  they  keep  us  behind  prison  windows." 

OWEN  MEREDITH. 

THE  announcement  in  February  of  Belinda's 
engagement  to  Dan  Denbeigh  was  of  interest  to 
society  and  a  satisfaction  to  those  most  con- 
cerned, save  only  Belinda  herself.  She  had 
yielded  to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear,  and  was 
about  as  miserable  as  a  girl  grown  apathetic 
could  be.  This  apathy,  so  unnatural  to  her,  set- 
tled upon  her  like  a  pall.  It  was  a  source  of  con- 
stant irritation  to  her  grandmother,  who,  herself 
in  a  state  of  rejoicing,  saw  no  reason  why  Belinda 
should  not  smile  in  the  roseate  path  the  gods  had 
laid  for  her.  Belinda  did  smile  when  she  could, 
conscientiously  strove  to  smile — poor  little  Be- 
linda, erstwhile  all  smiles !  But  from  having  had 
the  friendliest  feeling  for  Dan  she  grew,  in  her 
bondage,  to  dislike  him  with  an  intensity  that 
frightened  her.  His  egoism,  his  way  of  arro- 
gating to  himself  her  time,  her  occupations,  her 


The  Way  of  Belinda     101 

thoughts,  annoyed  her,  causing  her  to  shrink 
from  close  companionship  with  a  man  daily 
growing  more  antagonistic  to  her.  Of  these 
feelings,  however,  she  gave  no  sign,  maintaining 
outwardly  an  indifference  not  difficult  to  assume, 
since  she  truly  believed  she  did  not  in  the  least 
care  what  became  of  her.  Now,  unconcern  so 
pronounced  in  a  young  girl  whose  affairs  and 
whose  future  should  be,  and  commonly  are,  mat- 
ters of  absorbing  interest,  is,  to  say  the  least,  sus- 
picious, and  to  the  experienced  person  clearly 
indicates  deep  and  disturbing  elements  at  work 
within.  Madame  Ronalds  should  have  known 
this;  but,  woman  of  the  world  as  she  was,  and 
experienced  as  she  thought  herself  to  be,  she 
had  actually  small  knowledge  of  human  nature, 
thereby  lacking  the  very  key  of  life.  So,  uncom- 
prehending, she  continued  to  widen  the  distance 
between  them,  hurting  the  sensitive,  silent  girl 
at  every  turn. 

As  if  Dan's  society  were  not  enough,  Belinda 
saw  Leila  more  than  formerly,  and  the  girl 
seemed  to  her  to  have  suddenly  become  a  reflec- 
tion of  her  brother.  She  echoed  his  sayings,  his 
sentiments,  his  opinions,  more  particularly  about 
girls  and  what  they  should  and  should  not  do, 
until  Belinda  longed  to  choke  her. 


102     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Dan  says  "  could  be  counted  on  for  Leila's 
conversational  beginnings.  It  was  so  to-day, 
when  Belinda  had  gone  to  see  her. 

"  Dan  says,"  announced  the  hostess,  "  that 
girls  are  awful  fools  about  men." 

"  Are  they?  "  remarked  the  guest,  accustomed 
to  his  inanities. 

"  I  told  him  men  were  just  as  foolish  over  girls. 
I'm  sure  he's  a  living  example  of  it — idiotic  over 
you;  and  you  positively  freeze  when  he  comes 
near  you !" 

"  Do  I  ?  "  regarding  her  indifferently. 

"  I  told  him  I  wouldn't  put  up  with  it.  And  I 
wouldn't  if  I  were  he,  Belinda.  It's  ridiculous 
the  way  you  go  on — as  if  he  were  the  dirt  under 
your  feet." 

"  Oh,  not  so  bad  as  that,  Leila.  I'm  culti- 
vating a  proud  and  haughty  manner,  you  see,  be- 
cause it's  so  important  in  a  young  matron." 

"  Fiddlesticks !  You  don't  need  to  cultivate 
that — you  come  by  it  naturally.  You'll  be  like 
your  grandmother  by  and  by.  Dan  says  you're 
the  most  aggravating  girl  he  ever  knew." 

"  Why  doesn't  he  let  me  alone,  then? "  de- 
manded Belinda. 

"  He  happens  to  be  your  fiance." 

"  He  knows  I  don't  want  to  marry  him,"  cried 


The  Way  of  Belinda     103 

the  girl  wrathfully;  "  I've  told  him  so  a  thousand 
times,  but  he  will  have  it — you're  all  set  on  it, 
every  one  of  you,  and  then  you  revile  me  when 
I'm  doing  the  very  best  I  can." 

"  He  isn't  so  bad,"  commented  Leila,  who 
loved  her  brother,  "  but  he  will  have  his  own 
way.  You  used  to  be  fond  of  him,  Belinda." 

"  Of  course  I  was,  when  we  were  children,  and 
I  like  him  now  well  enough,  when  I  just  see  him 
around  and  we  keep  to  the  surface  of  things.  But 
the  trouble  is  that  way  down  deep  we  are  too 
absolutely  different — he  can't  see  it — neither  can 
any  of  you,  because  you  won't." 

"  Well,  I  must  say,"  remarked  Leila,  who, 
confined  to  the  house  by  slight  indisposition, 
was  doing  some  embroidery,  "  that  you're  not  a 
very  cheerful  picture  of  a  prospective  sister-in- 
law." 

Belinda  smiled.  "  I  did  not  mean  to  get  so  ex- 
cited," she  said.  "  The  thing  is  all  settled,  and 
it's  foolish  to  break  out  at  this  late  day.  Nana 
says  the  maid-of-honor  gown  you're  going  to 
send  over  to  Paris  for  will  be  a  dream." 

As  this  was  the  first  sign  of  interest  shown  in 
any  feature  of  the  wedding,  Leila  felt  encouraged 
to  launch  into  minute  description.  Belinda 
listened,  and  was  drawn  into  talk  of  her  trous- 


IO4     The  Way  of  Belinda 

seau,  which  was  ordered  in  Paris  to  be  delivered 
in  April. 

"  Who  knows?  "  said  Leila  facetiously;  "  I 
may  need  a  trousseau  first.  Dan  says  I'm 
getting  on  like  a  house  afire  with  Mr.  West- 
cote." 

Belinda  thought  this  vulgar,  though  many  of 
the  girls  in  her  set  talked  of  men  in  this  way.  So 
she  stifled  her  desire  to  look  disgusted  and  said 
pleasantly : 

"  Do  you  see  him  often?  " 

"  Rather,"  significantly  replied  Leila.  "  Mam- 
ma asks  him  here  all  the  time — he  doesn't  begin 
to  accept  all  our  invitations,  because  so  many 
people  are  after  him,  and  then,  you  know,  he's 
daft  about  the  East  Side.  Always  poking  down 
there  by  himself,  from  all  I  can  find  out.  I  cate- 
chise him,  I  can  tell  you,  when  he  comes  here, 
and  what  I  don't  know  about  the  '  submerged 
tenth  ' !" — she  shrugged  her  shoulders  expres- 
sively. 

"  Does  it  really  interest  you,  Leila?  " 

"  Interest  me?  It  bores  me  to  death,  and  I 
haven't  the  faintest  idea  most  of  the  time  what 
he's  talking  about,  but  I  just  pretend  to  be  ab- 
sorbed, and  it  goes — he  thinks  he's  enlightening 
and  converting  me." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     105 

"  Why  deceive  him  so?  " 

"  Because  I  intend  to  be  Mrs.  Westcote — the 
future  Countess  of  Desborough — you  know 
there's  only  an  old  bachelor  uncle  between  him 
and  the  title.  Mamma  knows  all  about  it — she 
says  he's  too  good  to  lose." 

"  You  and  your  mother  seem  to  be  managing 
the  whole  thing.  Has  he  nothing  to  say  about 
it?  "  asked  Belinda. 

"Oh,  he  will,"  replied  the  girl  airily;  "I'll 
lead  him  gently  up  to  it." 

"  I  should  think  you'd  prefer  he  took  the 
lead." 

"  Now,  look  here,  Belinda,  you  needn't  be  so 
superior.  You  know  perfectly  well  that  girls 
resort  to  all  sorts  of  expedients.  And  as  for  flirt- 
ing, you  did  plenty  of  it  yourself  before  you  were 
engaged.  For  that  matter,  Dan  says  you're  too 
much  inclined  to  the  same  tricks  now." 

A  quick  retort  sprang  to  Belinda's  lips,  but 
before  she  had  uttered  it  a  maid  knocked, 
entered,  and  announced  that  Mr.  Westcote  was 
below  in  the  drawing-room. 

"  '  Speaking  of  angels,'  "  laughed  Leila  self- 
consciously, running  to  the  mirror  to  give  a 
touch  to  her  hair.  It  was  a  rather  nondescript 
vision  that  confronted  her,  though  face  and  fig- 


io6     The  Way  of  Belinda 

ure  had  possibilities  as  yet  unrealized  by  her. 
The  straight,  brown  hair  would  have  been  full  of 
pretty  lights  and  shades  if  left  as  Nature  had  in- 
tended it,  instead  of  darkened  and  artificially 
waved  by  curling-irons;  the  brown  eyes,  now  so 
restless  and  beadlike,  would  soften  as  she  looked 
deeper  into  the  world.  No  one  had  ever  told  her 
that  it  lies  within  the  power  of  every  girl  to  make 
or  mar  her  mouth.  Shape  she  cannot  alter,  but 
expression  she  can  form,  and  whether  that  be 
petulant,  or  cynical,  or  sweet,  or  merry,  or  "  set," 
as  our  grandmothers  used  to  say,  depends 
entirely  on  the  individual  temperament  and  the 
control  she  has  over  it.  Leila's  mouth  was  petu- 
lant, for  the  reason  that,  like  her  brother,  she 
always  sulked  when  she  didn't  have  things  her 
own  way.  Her  figure,  thanks  to  fashionable 
modistes,  was  more  pleasing  than  her  face, 
though,  in  spite  of  well-built  gowns,  it  lacked 
distinction,  largely  owing  to  the  fact  that  her 
carriage  was  awkward — she  did  not  hold  herself 
erect,  and,  with  head  bent  forward,  walked  with 
a  jerky  movement  which  she  thought  fashion- 
able. 

She  descended  now  to  the  drawing-room,  ac- 
companied by  Belinda.  Mrs.  Denbeigh  was  out, 
and  in  asking  Belinda  to  go  down  with  her  Leila, 


The  Way  of  Belinda     107 

desiring  a  tete-a-tete  with  her  visitor,  hoped  she 
would  refuse  and  depart;  but  Belinda  failed  to  be 
so  obliging.  She  fancied  she  knew  Westcote  far 
better  than  Leila  did,  and  felt  a  natural  curiosity 
to  see  them  together. 

He  greeted  them  in  his  usual  quiet  fashion  as 
they  entered  and  fell  to  talking  generalities. 
Leila  soon  confided  to  him  that  they  had  been 
discussing  wedding  trousseaus  when  he  came. 
Recollections  of  other  things  that  had  entered 
into  their  talk  caused  her  to  giggle.  It  suddenly 
struck  Belinda  that  Leila  was  prone  to  giggle, 
particularly  in  the  society  of  men.  Westcote, 
seeing  Belinda  flush  at  the  mention  of  trous- 
seaus, hastened,  with  a  man's  dread  of  person- 
alities, to  change  the  subject.  To  the  admiration 
of  Belinda  he  took  the  conversational  reins  into 
his  own  hands  and  spoke  of  London,  the  inva- 
sion of  Americans  over  there,  the  prospects  of 
the  coming  summer,  the  enjoyment  that  the 
Denbeighs  were  sure  to  find  in  a  London  season. 
To  the  numerous  questions  pelted  at  him  by 
Leila,  he  made  answer  or  not,  apparently  as  it 
suited  him.  Of  his  family  or  his  home  she  could 
draw  out  nothing.  It  impressed  Belinda,  who, 
for  the  most  part,  played  audience,  as  the  per- 
formance of  an  intelligent  "  grown-up  "  endeav- 


io8      The  Way  of  Belinda 

oring  to  amuse  a  little  girl.  That  the  little  girl 
was  not  altogether  amused  did  not  escape  the 
observant  Belinda,  and  therein  her  surmise  was 
correct,  for  Leila,  given  to  "  frivolling  "  with 
men,  thought  the  conversation  stupid  and  re- 
sented the  apparent  determination  on  Belinda's 
part  to  continue  "  playing  gooseberry."  With 
good  qualities  and  bad,  like  the  rest  of  us,  Leila 
was  one  of  those  foolish  girls  who  want  their  in- 
tercourse with  men  to  be  always  on  a  flirtatious 
basis.  Had  she  been  fascinating,  beautiful,  or  a 
born  coquette,  it  would  have  been  forgiven  her; 
but  being  none  of  these,  on  the  contrary  without 
physical  attraction  or  personal  charm,  merely  a 
nice  girl — pleasant  to  many,  pleasing  to  some — 
it  was  pitiable  that  she  would  take  such  an  atti- 
tude and  mistake  for  spontaneous  the  attentions 
she  forced  from  men. 

That  she  had  impressed  Westcote  with  a  sin- 
cerity of  purpose  which  unconsciously  she  con- 
tradicted at  every  breath,  was  evident  to  Belinda 
half  an  hour  after  she  had  been  in  the  room. 

"  Have  you  seen  Miss  Lovering  recently?  " 
Belinda  asked  him,  striking  into  the  conversa- 
tion while  Leila  busied  herself  with  the  tea 
things  which  the  footman  had  brought  in. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     109 

"  Rather,"  vaguely. 

"  How  her  work  grows !" 

"  It  isn't  her  sort  of  thing,  it's  the  Settle- 
ments, Mr.  Westcote's  interested  in,"  corrected 
Leila. 

Belinda  smiled  over  at  him. 

"  You  don't  disapprove  of  her  '  sort  of  thing,' 
do  you?  "  she  asked. 

"  Not  exactly,"  he  began,  when  Leila,  over- 
burdened with  knowledge,  interrupted: 

"  You  don't  understand,  Belinda.  She  is  well 
enough  in  her  way,  but  organized  work,  Mr. 
Westcote  thinks,  is  productive  of  far  more 
good." 

"  You  are  not  quoting  me,  Miss  Denbeigh, 
surely?  "  said  Westcote,  looking  alarmed. 

"  You  are  my  oracle,"  replied  Leila  coquet- 
tishly;  "  I  sit  at  your  feet  to  learn  East  Side  wis- 
dom." 

"  Miss  Denbeigh,"  he  said  seriously,  turning 
to  the  other  girl  explanatorily,  "  has  been  so  very 
kind  as  to  take  an  interest  in  my  hobbies.  I  have 
so  much  to  thank  her  and  Mrs.  Denbeigh  for  in 
the  many  ways  in  which  their  interest  has  been 
manifested.  But  I  fear,  Miss  Leigh,  I  have  not 
always  explained  myself  to  Miss  Denbeigh 


no     The  Way  of  Belinda 

clearly.  None  the  less,  when  I  return,"  look- 
ing at  Leila,  "  it  will  be  pleasant  to  remember 
that  I  left  behind  so  ardent  a  convert  to  philan- 
thropy." 

"  Then  you  have  not  come  in  vain?  "  archly 
from  Leila. 

He  saw  the  lead,  but  did  not  follow.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  think  Englishmen  are  dense. 

"  I  have  accomplished  far  more  than  I  would 
have  thought  possible  in  so  short  a  time,"  he 
said. 

Belinda  rose  to  go. 

"  May  I  go  along  with  you?  "  the  man  asked. 

But  Leila  had  no  intention  of  this. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Westcote,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you 
must  wait  until  mamma  comes — you  really  must. 
She  has  something  very  important  to  consult 
you  about.  I  think  it's  a  model  tenement  or 
something.  She  spoke  of  it  this  morning." 

"  Really — I  think  I  can't,"  began  the  man 
hesitatingly. 

"  Yes,  you  can  and  must,"  imperatively. 
"  Mamma  will  never  forgive  me  if  I  let  you  go." 

Belinda  laughed  inwardly  at  the  helplessness 
of  man. 

"  Good-by,"  she  said  to  both  of  them.  Then 
to  the  man  who  reluctantly  lingered : 


The  Way  of  Belinda 


iii 


"  Tell  Miss  Levering,  with  my  love,  when  you 
see  her  that  I've  made  a  brilliant  discovery. 
'  Her  sort  of  thing '  is  productive  of  far  too  much 
good  for  you !"  She  went  out  laughing,  leaving 
behind  a  discomfited  man  and  a  maid  sorely 
puzzled. 


CHAPTER  X. 

"  The  brave  man  carves  out  his  fortune,   and 
every  man  is  the  son  of  his  own  works." 

CERVANTES. 

THE  tenement  was  in  woful  disorder.  Famil- 
iar with  such  scenes,  Esther  Levering  found  in 
this  nothing  to  amaze  her.  She  picked  her  way 
through  a  confusion  of  overturned  chairs  and 
dirty  clothing  to  the  bed  ordinarily  shared 
by  "  Lady  Redbreast "  with  three  other  chil- 
dren. To-day  she  was  its  sole  occupant  for 
the  simple  reason  that  out  of  the  four  she  alone, 
that  morning,  had  been  unwilling  to  vacate  it, 
crying  peevishly  to  be  let  alone  when  her  mother 
had  endeavored  to  rout  her  out.  Mrs.  Krull, 
who  had  little  love  for  this  deformed  daughter, 
allowed  her  to  remain  where  she  was,  that  being 
to  her  mind  a  good  way  to  be  rid  of  her  for  the 
present.  Without  further  thought  of  her  she 
early  went  off  to  work  for  the  day,  leaving  Susie, 
aged  ten,  in  charge  of  the  family.  Upon  Susie, 


The  Way  of  Belinda     113 

oldest  of  the  children,  devolved  the  duty  of  cook- 
ing, scrubbing,  and  tending  babies;  she  was  one 
of  those  "  little  mothers  "  of  the  poor,  weighted 
down  with  domestic  burdens.  Though  there 
was  between  the  ages  of  her  and  Janie  merely  a 
difference  of  four  years,  she  had  mothered  the 
child  from  its  infancy.  One  baby  carrying  an- 
other had  been  the  cause  of  Janie's  deformity,  for 
one  day,  childish  arms  tiring,  the  baby  had  some- 
how dropped  on  the  doorsteps,  bumped  to  the 
street,  and  for  weeks  after,  though  no  one  knew 
what  was  the  matter  with  her,  wailed  pitifully. 
Susie  never  knew  that  she  was  responsible  for 
this  calamity,  but  she  loved  the  baby  sister,  and 
now  loved  the  delicate,  feeble  child  with  savage 
intensity.  She  fought  all  her  battles,  stood  ready 
to  "  lick  "  any  boy  in  the  street  who  called  her 
names,  shared  all  her  "  treats  "  with  her,  and  car- 
ried her  many  a  block  when  the  weak  spine  gave 
out.  It  was  she  who,  frightened  at  the  child's 
continued  moaning,  had  fled  that  morning  for 
Miss  Lovering,  and  she  now  came  over  to  the 
bed,  on  the  edge  of  which  the  woman  sat,  and 
said  anxiously: 

"  What's  ailin'  her?  She  ain't  stoped  cryin'  all 
mornin'." 

Esther  was  feeling  the  child's  pulse. 


ii4     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  I'm  not  sure,  Susie,  but  I  fear  she's  going  to 
be  ill.  Janie,  dear,  where  does  it  hurt  you?  " 

"  Treat's  hurted,"  moaned  the  child;  "  head's 
hurted,  too." 

These  were  grave  symptoms. 

"  Has  she  eaten  anything  this  morning? " 
asked  the  visitor. 

"  No,  'um,"  replied  Susie;  "  I  bringed  her  a 
pig's  feet — what's  ginerally  her  favorite — but  she 
wouldn't  look  at  it." 

She  ran  to  the  table,  caught  up  a  wooden 
plate  on  which  the  "  favorite "  still  lay,  and 
proudly  displayed  it. 

"  I'se  savin'  it  for  her.  See  now,  Janie,"  to  her 
sister  persuasively,  "  wouldn't  youse  try  a  teeny 
taste  to  please  the  lady?  " 

Miss  Levering  gently  put  the  plate  aside. 

"  I  think  she  would  better  not  try  it  just  now, 
Susie,"  she  said  kindly;  "  you  see,  it  is  probably 
difficult  for  her  to  swallow  anything  solid  if  her 
throat  is  sore.  Suppose  we  try  a  little  milk 
heated.  Have  you  any?  " 

"  No,  'um,  but  I  can  git  it  in  a  jiffy,"  said  the 
resourceful  Susie,  who  vanished  into  one  of  the 
adjoining  tenements,  where  a  woman,  having  the 
desired  milk,  lent  it  willingly.  Had  Susie  asked 


The  Way  of  Belinda     115 

for  anything  else  it  would  have  been  granted 
with  equal  friendliness,  for  in  all  emergencies  the 
poor  form  a  mutual  help  society. 

Returning  with  the  milk,  she  heated  it  under 
Miss  Lovering's  direction,  and  Janie  was  per- 
suaded to  drink  it  all.  This  much  accomplished, 
Miss  Levering  turned  her  attention  to  the  dis- 
order of  the  room.  Over  in  a  corner  near  the 
stove,  on  a  bed  improvised  from  the  seats  of  two 
chairs  placed  together,  lay  a  baby  asleep.  On 
the  floor  played  a  boy  of  three,  who  was  ob- 
viously responsible  for  some  of  the  confusion, 
for  he  had  amused  himself  by  turning  over  the 
chairs  and  had  managed  to  pull  the  drawer  out  of 
the  kitchen  table,  scattering  its  contents,  which 
served  as  fascinating  playthings.  On  the  table 
itself  were  strewn  dirty  dishes,  which  it  was  evi- 
dent Susie  had  been  in  the  act  of  washing  when 
she  had  left  everything  to  go  for  Miss  Lovering. 
Evidences  of  her  industry  were  apparent  in  many 
ways,  in  spite  of  the  present  chaos. 

Miss  Lovering  took  off  her  coat,  and  re- 
spected Susie's  position  as  head  of  the  family  by 
asking  to  be  allowed  to  assist  her,  beginning 
meanwhile  to  pick  up  and  straighten  things  out 
so  quietly  and  swiftly  that  soon  she  and  Susie 


1 1 6     The  Way  of  Belinda 

had  a  fairly  presentable-looking  room.  Janie, 
soothed  by  the  milk  and  the  presence  of  her  be- 
loved Miss  "  Loving,"  was  sleeping. 

"  What  should  you  say,"  asked  Esther  of 
Susie,  "  if  I  took  Janie  home  with  me?  " 

"  Fer  keeps  ?  "  inquired  the  little  mother. 

"  No,  not  for  keeps,"  smiling,  "  but  until  she 
gets  well.  If  she  is  ill,  and  for  some  time,  it 
would  be  hard  for  you  to  manage  here.  Your 
mother  would  consent,  I  think." 

"  Mother  ain't  troublin'  herself,"  scornfully  re- 
plied the  head  of  the  family,  "  but  I'se  needin' 
Janie." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Miss  Lovering,  under- 
standing and  discussing  the  matter  with  as  much 
consideration  as  she  would  have  shown  an  older 
person,  "  but  I  think  you  would  spare  her  a  little 
while  if  you  knew  I  would  take  good  care  of  her 
and  send  her  home  well — and  you  should  come 
and  see  her  all  you  liked,  Susie." 

Susie  was  wavering. 

"  Would  youse  let  her  have  pig's  feet?  "  she 
asked  suspiciously. 

Esther  suppressed  a  smile. 

"  I'd  give  her  whatever  was  best  for  her,"  she 
said  so  convincingly  that  the  alert  Susie  failed  to 
catch  the  vagueness  of  the  answer. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     117 

"  Let's  take  her  now,"  suggested  Esther,  as  if 
this  thought  had  just  occurred  to  her.  "  I'll  help 
you  dress  her,  and  we'll  bundle  her  all  up  and 
carry  her  around,  where  you  can  help  me  to  put 
her  to  bed  again.  What  do  you  say?  " 

She  showed  infinite  tact  in  her  management  of 
Susie,  who  would  have  been  instantly  on  the  de- 
fensive had  the  woman  thrust  her  aside  and  taken 
complete  possession  of  the  situation. 

"  Janie'll  take  it  well  enough,"  reluctantly 
confessed  Susie,  and  Miss  Levering  knew  the 
day  was  won. 

Together  they  dressed  her,  the  child  quietly 
submitting  to  all  the  bother  when  she  learned 
where  she  was  going.  They  wrapped  her  at  last  in 
part  of  the  bedding — a  huge  red  "  comforter  " — 
which  completely  enveloped  her.  This  made  of 
her  so  large  and  clumsy  a  bundle  that  it  would 
not  be  possible  for  Susie  to  carry  her  and  ques- 
tionable if  Miss  Levering  could — at  least,  so 
thought  the  "  little  mother,"  who  said  there  was 
an  old  granddad  on  the  floor  below  who'd  be 
willing  to  take  her.  But  Miss  Levering  refused 
the  suggested  aid.  She  was  too  uncertain  of  the 
nature  of  the  child's  malady  to  care  to  expose  a 
neighbor  to  possible  contagion,  preferring  to 
take  all  risks  herself.  Moreover,  she  was  big  and 


1 1 8      The  Way  of  Belinda 

strong  and  amply  able  to  carry  the  grotesque, 
human  bundle. 

Once  in  her  own  house,  she  went  swiftly  by 
the  room  where  the  kindergarten  was  in  session 
and  up  the  stairs  to  a  small  bedroom  in  the  rear 
which,  until  now,  had  not  been  occupied.  Here 
she  left  the  undressing  of  the  child  to  the  sister, 
and  went  downstairs  to  send  for  the  doctor.  She 
knew  it  would  be  hours,  perhaps  many,  before 
the  busy  man  came,  and  in  the  meantime  she  re- 
turned and  persuaded  Susie  to  go  home  to  her 
duties,  comforting  her  with  the  reminder  that  she 
could  run  over  again  later  on.  Janie,  bereft  of 
sister,  cried  herself  into  high  fever,  and  finally 
from  sheer  exhaustion  fell  asleep. 

Miss  Levering  was  bending  over  her, 
anxiously  studying  her  face,  when  she  was  in- 
formed that  Mr.  Blake  was  below  and  asked  to 
see  her.  She  went  down  one  flight  to  a  small 
den,  whither  the  man  had  already  been  con- 
ducted. This  room  served  in  turn  as  office,  re- 
ception-room, and  retreat.  It  was  sanctified  to 
Esther  Lovering  by  the  presence  of  things  which 
had  been  her  father's.  The  writing-table  he  had 
used,  and  on  it  now  stood  an  excellent,  simply 
framed  photograph  of  him.  Over  in  the  corner 
stood  a  battered  old  leather  reclining  chair,  in 


The  Way  of  Belinda     119 

which,  ever  since  she  could  remember,  he  had 
been  wont  to  snatch  half  an  hour's  rest  after  his 
midday  meal.  She  loved  its  depths,  in  which  she 
felt  the  spirit  of  her  father  enfolding  her.  His 
books  and  a  few  miscellaneous  ones  of  hers  on 
three  sides  lined  the  walls,  hung  with  but  three 
pictures — Burne- Jones's  "  Golden  Stairs,"  Ma- 
dame Le  Brun  with  her  child  in  her  arms,  and  the 
splendid  head  of  Dr.  Lister,  whose  benign  face 
always  recalled  her  father. 

Blake,  who  had  not  sat  down,  came  quickly 
forward  as  she  entered,  shaking  warmly  the  hand 
she  offered. 

"  How  are  you  to-day?  "  she  asked  cordially. 

"Well,  thank  you;  I'm  always  well.  And 
you?" 

"  Equally  so.    What  can  I  do  for  you?  " 

It  was  characteristic  of  them  both  that  they 
did  not  waste  words. 

"  I'm  out  on  a  tenement  story,"  he  replied, 
looking  at  her  in  a  direct,  fixed  way  he  had. 
"  That  murder  of  a  woman  in  a  Hester  Street 
house  Wednesday  afternoon  has  called  public  at- 
tention again  to  dark  hallways  and  the  generally 
shocking  condition  of  the  houses.  The  Ten- 
ement Commission  held  a  meeting  last  night. 
There  was  much  discussion  and  some  action  is 


i2o     The  Way  of  Belinda 

going  to  be  taken.  There  will  be  an  investiga- 
tion at  least.'' 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  the  woman  said. 

"  The  Commission  will  try  to  sum  up  the  ques- 
tion— the  practical  side  of  it — but  I  doubt  if  they 
can.  The  tenement  people  won't  let  them;  they 
never  have.  Now,  you  get  at  the  true  state  of 
things.  I  want  the  practical  side  of  it  from  you." 

His  words  clicked  out  in  the  quick,  decisive 
manner  of  his  calling. 

She  was  a  matter  of  some  fifteen  minutes  tell- 
ing him  what  she  knew.  He  listened  intently, 
sometimes  interrupting  to  ask  a  question,  and 
occasionally  making  notes  on  a  small  piece  of 
paper  he  held  in  his  hand. 

"  Shall  you  use  my  name?  "  she  asked,  when 
at  length  she  had  finished. 

"  If  you  prefer  not,  but  the  story  will  carry 
more  weight — be  of  more  value — if  it  is  known 
as  the  result  of  investigations  of  a  practical 
worker  like  you." 

"  Then  use  it  by  all  means,"  she  replied, 
ashamed  of  her  inward  shrinking  from  publicity. 

"  Thank  you.  I  have  just  come  across  from 
the  Settlement,  though  from  past  experience  I 
should  have  known  it  was  useless  to  stop  there. 
Miss  Day  had  nothing  to  say." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     121 

"  After  twenty   years'  experience !     What    a 

pity!" 

"  Isn't  it?  "  he  agreed.  "  It  seemed  to  me  she 
must  for  once  overcome  her  aversion  to  the  press 
and  see  her  opportunity  to  enlighten  the  public, 
just  now  aroused  and  eager  for  the  truth.  But 
she  only  took  a  personal  view.  The  Settlement, 
she  said,  did  not  desire  newspaper  notoriety.  She 
objected  to  being  interviewed.  I  was  dismissed, 
and  came  to  you." 

"  My  father  always  said,"  responded  Miss 
Lovering,  "  that  knowledge  of  any  sort  was  of 
small  value  unless  we  passed  it  along — to  keep 
the  ball  rolling,  you  know,"  smilingly. 

"  That's  what  newspapers  are  for,"  replied 
Blake,  rising,  "  and  I  wish  Miss  Day  realized  it, 
for  she  could  make  a  powerful  ally  of  us  in  open- 
ing the  eyes  of  the  public  to  many  things  about 
which  it  knows  nothing  or  only  hears  half  the 
truth.  Instead  of  that  she  systematically  snubs 
us,  and  we  sometimes  retaliate  by  getting  in  a  dig 
at  Settlements  when  the  chance  offers." 

"  I've  observed  that,"  said  Esther  slyly. 
"  Good-by,  and  count  on  me  whenever  I  can  be 
of  use." 

He  went  off  with  her  story  in  his  head, 
through  which  ran  an  undercurrent  of  the 


122      The  Way  of  Belinda 

woman's  personality.  It  was  not  only  her  re- 
sponsiveness to  what  he  asked,  her  intelligent 
appreciation  of  the  situation,  but  her  frankness, 
her  earnestness,  her  sincerity  of  purpose  that  ap- 
pealed to  him.  A  faint  impression  of  her  lingered 
with  him  through  the  day,  like  a  strain  of  exalted 
music,  once  heard,  long  remembered. 

Blake  made  straight  for  the  office  on  leaving 
Miss  Lovering,  reported  to  the  city  editor,  who 
told  him  to  write  the  story,  which  he  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  do.  By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  he 
was  off  on  another  assignment,  which  took  him 
down  to  a  big  office  building  at  the  Battery, 
where  he  was  to  ask  a  prominent  exporter  if  he 
thought  American  interests  in  South  Africa 
would  be  affected  by  the  British-Boer  War.  He 
reached  the  office  just  too  late,  learning  there 
from  the  boy  that  the  merchant  had  gone  home. 
His  residence,  Blake  knew,  was  far  up  on  River- 
side Drive,  in  the  vicinity  of  Grant's  Tomb.  The 
reporter  boarded  the  <;  L,"  and  it  was  an  hour 
before  he  was  in  the  street  again,  striding  along 
at  a  brisk  pace,  for  the  wind  blew  sharply  from 
the  river  down  the  cross  street,  and  he  found 
himself  wondering  more  than  once  how  a  man 
could  choose  to  live  during  the  winter  so  far 
from  the  centre  of  things.  Jerry  himself  loved 


The  Way  of  Belinda     123 

the  heart  of  the  town,  and  lodged  in  a  house  in 
old  Greenwich,  not  so  very  far  from  the  Den- 
beigh  mansion  in  Washington  Square.  His 
early  environment  told  in  that  he  secretly  deter- 
mined, when  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  metrop- 
olis, to  select  no  place  where  he  could  not  from 
his  window  see  a  patch  of  grass  or  at  least  a 
tree.  This  had  necessitated  on  his  part  a  consid- 
erable search,  rewarded  at  last  by  the  discovery 
of  a  house  itself  boasting  the  desired  grass-plot, 
augmented  by  the  equally  longed-for  tree  on  the 
sidewalk  directly  opposite  the  house.  Joys  like 
these  led  Jerry  into  the  extravagance  of  the  top 
floor  front  instead  of  the  proverbial  top  floor 
back,  wherein  aspiring  geniuses  are  supposed  to 
abide. 

On  reaching  the  merchant's  residence,  he  rang 
and  was  admitted,  sent  in  his  name,  and  was  soon 
affably  received  by  the  master  of  the  house,  who 
was  comfortably  ensconced  in  the  library  with  a 
guest,  whom  he  presented  as  Mr.  Wynne,  from 
Johannesburg.  Here,  thought  Jerry,  was  some- 
thing worth  while. 

Turning  to  the  host,  Blake  said  at  once :  "  The 
Echo  wants  to  know,  Mr.  Arden,  what  you  think 
of  the  danger  to  American  business  interests  in 
South  Africa? " 


124     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Sit  down,"  said  the  white-haired  merchant, 
who  made  it  a  point  to  be  courteous  to  reporters; 
"  have  a  cigar?  " 

Blake  declined  the  cigar  and  waited  for  an 
answer  to  his  question. 

Turning  to  the  Englishman,  Mr.  Arden, 
ignoring  it,  launched  into  eulogy  of  New  York 
— the  greatest  city  in  the  world,  sir — which  evi- 
dently the  foreigner  was  for  the  first  time  seeing. 
Blake,  when  he  could,  broke  in  with  a  reiteration 
of  his  question,  which  again  the  merchant 
politely  ignored,  steering  the  conversation  into 
general  channels.  This,  soon  suspected  Blake, 
was  his  way  with  reporters — to  be  most  urbane 
without  committing  himself.  Immediately 
changing  his  tack,  Blake  joined  with  the  older 
man  in  extolling  the  beauties  of  the  city.  The 
Briton,  who  had  lived  most  of  his  life  in  the 
Transvaal,  launched  into  comparative  pictures  of 
South  African  cities,  about  which  Blake  adroitly 
questioned.  Naturally  enough  from  this  the 
conversation  drifted  into  business,  centred  in 
Johannesburg,  and  in  half  an  hour  had  more  than 
covered  the  ground  Blake  was  seeking.  Once  he 
could  get  at  them  Blake  had  a  genius  for  draw- 
ing people  out.  He  now  rose,  apologized  for  in- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     125 

truding  upon  the  merchant's  time,  bowed  to  the 
two  men  and  departed  elated. 

When  the  door  had  closed  after  him  Mr. 
Arden  said :  "Nice  fellow,  that  reporter — I  liked 
him.  But  I  flatter  myself  he  did  not  get  any  sat- 
isfaction out  of  me." 

On  his  way  back  to  the  office  Blake  stopped  at 
the  favorite  resort  of  newspaper  men  near  Park 
Row,  where  he  ate  a  hurried  dinner,  washed 
down  with  a  stein  of  his  favorite  beer.  Later  in 
the  evening,  he  was  sent  uptown  to  report  a  for- 
eign missionary  meeting,  an  assignment  com- 
monly given  to  the  cubs,  and  which  would 
have  never  been  allotted  to  Jerry  had  not  the 
office  that  night  been  short  of  men.  He 
went  off  cheerfully,  however,  for  sometimes  an 
unimportant  thing  turned  out  to  be  the  story  of 
the  day. 

At  the  meeting  he  encountered  a  young 
woman,  the  only  other  reporter  present.  He  did 
not  know  her,  but  they  fell  into  talk  after  the 
manner  of  working  people,  among  whom  there  is 
a  freemasonry.  The  meeting  was  given  over  to 
official  business  and  Blake  nearly  fell  asleep  in  his 
chair. 

"  I  was  out  on  a  story  all  night — didn't  get  to 


126     The  Way  of  Belinda 

bed  till  four  this  morning,"  he  explained  to  the 
girl  apologetically. 

"  What  time  did  you  report? "  she  asked, 
sharpening  a  pencil. 

"  1 1  A.M.,"  succinctly. 

"  Do  that  much?  " 

"  Pretty  much  this  week.  We're  short- 
handed." 

"  Go  to  sleep,"  was  her  next  remark. 

"  I'd  like  to,  precious  well." 

"  Really,  I  mean.  Go  to  sleep — there  isn't  go- 
ing to  be  much.  If  anything  does  happen  I'll 
take  it  and  give  it  to  you."  She  looked  at  him 
almost  pleadingly.  "  I  mean  it — I'd  be  glad  to." 

Never  a  word  said  Jerry,  but,  like  an  obedient 
child,  dropped  his  head  in  his  hands  on  the  re- 
porters' table  and  slept  profoundly  for  twenty 
minutes. 

Immensely  refreshed,  he  woke  just  as  the 
meeting  was  adjourning.  The  girl  gave  him  her 
notes,  while  he  made  a  mental  note  of  the  fact 
that  he  wouldn't  soon  forget  her. 

There  was  no  street  or  precinct  in  all  the  bor- 
oughs of  the  great  city  Jerry  had  not  at  one  time 
or  another  covered  in  his  work  and  knew  by 
heart.  In  the  six  years  of  his  reporting,  like  a  big 
sponge,  he  had  absorbed  the  town — was  satu- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     127 

rated  with  it,  full  of  material  destined  to  come 
out  of  him  in  a  manner  now  undreamed  of.  He 
had  not  in  his  youth  started  out  with  any  high- 
flown  notions  of  being  an  author,  but,  as  Ronalds 
Castleton  suspected,  the  creative  faculty  was 
strong  within  him,  and  all  unknown  was  fast 
leading  him  on. 

He  got  to  his  room  at  two  o'clock  that  morn- 
ing, his  day's  work  done.  He  immediately  re- 
tired, to  sleep,  but  not  dreamlessly.  On  the 
retina  of  his  tired  brain  two  women  clearly  de- 
fined themselves — each  so  full  of  kindliness,  each 
his  fellow-worker.  Dreaming  of  them,  he  ceases 
dreaming,  soothed  into  quiet  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"  As  there  are  some  flowers  which  you  should 
smell  but  slightly  to  extract  all  that  is  pleasant  in 
them,  ...  so  there  are  some  men  with  whom  a 
slight  acquaintance  is  quite  sufficient  to  draw  out 
all  that  is  agreeable ;  a  more  intimate  one  would  be 
unsatisfactory  and  unsafe." 

LANDOR. 

OF  those  personally  interested,  there  were  two 
who  strongly  disapproved  of  the  Denbeigh- 
Leigh  engagement — Miss  Lovering  and  the 
debonaire  Ronalds  Castleton.  He  alone  of  their 
relatives  and  friends  refrained,  upon  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  engagement,  from  entertain- 
ing them.  So  pointed  a  slight  was  resented  by 
Madame  Ronalds,  who,  as  usual,  however,  could 
do  nothing  toward  changing  the  attitude  of  her 
obdurate  nephew.  With  his  customary  frank- 
ness, he  said  to  her  that  Denbeigh  was  a  cad  and 
utterly  unworthy  of  his  dear  little  cousin.  The 
money  part  of  it  was  all  right,  of  course,  but 
there  were  other  men  likely  to  be  quite  as  rich 


The  Way  of  Belinda     129 

and  less  objectionable.  Belinda  was  young  and 
could  afford  to  wait.  Madame  Ronalds  did  not 
argue  that  she  could  not  afford  to  wait,  for  it  did 
not  suit  her  to  reveal  to  her  nephew  their  true 
financial  condition.  Like  most  of  her  conversa- 
tions with  him,  it  had  ended  where  it  began,  leav- 
ing her  somewhat  ruffled,  he  charmingly  imper- 
turbable as  ever. 

Much  as  he  cared  for  her,  he  had  never  dis- 
cussed this  matter  with  Belinda.  Inasmuch  as, 
though  reluctantly,  she  had  taken  the  decisive 
step,  he  felt  that  the  less  said  about  it  between 
them  the  better.  He  watched  her  carefully  from 
afar,  and  was  not  slow  to  observe  that  she  was 
unhappy.  Knowing  her  as  well  as  he  did,  he 
counted  on  her  pride  to  sustain  her  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point.  Meanwhile,  she  would  remain  mute. 
Which  was  exactly  what  she  did,  though  instinc- 
tively feeling  his  sympathy. 

Castleton  came  walking  up  the  avenue  one 
afternoon,  these  things  much  in  his  mind.  He 
walked  fast  and  with  enjoyment,  delighting  in 
the  exercise,  for  he  was  an  athletic  man  and  had 
been  a  champion  at  college,  as  sundry  trophies  in 
his  rooms  testified.  He  felt  the  keen  February 
wind  in  his  face  and  on  his  head  when  he  lifted 
his  hat,  as  he  did  many  times,  to  people  on  the 


130     The  Way  of  Belinda 

sidewalk  and  in  passing  equipages.  A  steady 
stream  of  carriages  poured  up  and  down  town, 
the  rumble  of  wheels  an  accompaniment  to  the 
trot  of  horses'  feet  on  the  asphalt — broughams 
with  the  dignity  of  a  pair  and  two  men  on  the 
box,  bearing  sumptuously  clad  occupants,  of 
whom  one  caught  glimpses;  victorias,  less  fre- 
quent at  that  season,  carrying  women  buried  to 
the  ears  in  furs;  an  occasional  dog-cart,  its 
owner  driving  tandem;  public  cabs  and  hansoms 
darting  in  and  out;  clumsy  stages  lumbering 
along.  Whizzing  by  them  and  every  other 
vehicle,  the  insistent  automobile,  with  its  buzz 
of  machinery  and  warning  gone.  Endeavoring 
to  keep  pace  with  it,  to  the  disturbance  of  horses 
and  the  annoyance  of  coachmen,  the  impertinent 
bicycle,  like  a  serpentine  rocket,  shot  through  the 
crowd.  This  was  Fifth  Avenue  on  a  winter  after- 
noon, and  Castleton,  feeling  himself  a  part  of  the 
gay  panorama,  rejoiced  in  it  all,  like  the  inbred 
New  Yorker  he  was. 

Among  a  large  number  of  persons  the  impres- 
sion obtains  that  there  no  longer  exists  in  the 
metropolis  the  New  Yorker  born  and  bred,  the 
citizens  being  from  other  States  and  all  the  world 
over.  Some  one  recently  has  said :  "  All  New 


The  Way  of  Belinda     131 

Yorkers  have  come  from  somewhere  else.  The 
New  Yorkers  who  were  born  in  New  York  have 
either  gone  West  to  earn  their  living  or  else  they 
have  gone  to  Europe  to  live  on  their  incomes  " — 
an  aphorism,  by  many  taken  more  seriously  than 
was  probably  intended.  Cosmopolitan  as  is  the 
great  city,  she,  nevertheless,  retains  and  clings  fast 
to  her  native  sons  and  daughters,  a  large  and  in- 
fluential class,  who  love  their  city  with  an  inten- 
sity seldom  realized,  though  often  shared  in  a 
measure  by  her  adopted  children. 

Half  way  up  the  avenue,  Castleton,  attracted 
by  some  flowers  in  a  florist's  window,  turned  into 
the  shop  and  sent  some  orchids  to  Belinda,  which 
was  a  way  he  had.  He  then  went  on  to  his  club, 
at  that  hour  crowded.  He  was  greeted  on  all 
sides  and  asked  to  join  various  groups  of  men  at 
small  tables.  Accepting  one  of  these  invitations, 
he  found  himself  sitting  beside  Gerard  Westcote, 
whom  he  liked  and  always  found  diverting  be- 
cause of  his  intense  seriousness. 

"  How  goes  the  world?  "  he  asked  of  the  table 
generally. 

"  Well  enough,"  replied  one,  lighting  a  cig- 
arette. 

" '  Speak  for  yourself,  John,' "  retorted  an- 


132      The  Way  of  Belinda 

other;  "  I'm  sick  of  the  whole  blooming  busi- 
ness." 

"  Girl  gone  back  on  him?  "  inquired  Castleton 
solicitously. 

"  That's  it,"  said  the  first  man.  "  We  never 
thought  of  it;  he's  in  love." 

The  man  alluded  to  did  not  deign  to  reply. 

Westcote  said  seriously,  "  I  don't  believe  he 
likes  being  chaffed  about  it." 

They  all  laughed,  even  the  pessimistic  man. 

"  Westcote,"  said  Castleton,  "  you're  too  sym- 
pathetic. Give  it  up — it  takes  too  much  out  of 
you." 

The  Englishman,  who  did  not  know  how  to  be 
other  than  literal,  said  quietly,  "  It's  all  right, 
thanks — I'll  manage,"  to  the  delight  of  Castle- 
ton, who  enjoyed  nothing  better  than  being  mis- 
understood. 

"  Still  interested  in  prowling  'round  the  East 
Side?  "  he  asked  him  presently. 

"  More  than  ever,"  answered  Westcote  ani- 
matedly. 

"  Must  be  some  mighty  big  attraction  down 
there,"  commented  one  of  the  men. 

"  Cherchez  la  femme,"  suggested  Castleton, 
and  then  stopped.  Westcote  had  flushed  to  the 
roots  of  his  hair.  Castleton  immediately  diverted 


The  Way  of  Belinda     133 

the  attention  of  the  table  from  him  and  changed 
the  topic.  Later,  when  the  others  were  talking 
together,  he  said : 

"  I'm  having  my  yacht  put  in  commission  and 
think  of  taking  a  run  down  to  Bermuda.  Join 
me,  will  you,  Westcote?  I'd  like  immensely  to 
have  you.  Say  you  will." 

"  When  do  you  go?  "  the  Englishman  asked. 

"  Oh,  any  time  within  a  fortnight — later  if 
you  like,  though  I  imagine  March  is  a  good  time, 
isn't  it?  " 

"  Fancy  so,"  replied  Westcote,  pulling  at  his 
mustache,  which  was  a  trick  of  his  when  think- 
ing. "  I've  a  young  brother  down  there." 

"  Have  you?  Then  come  and  have  a  look  at 
him." 

"  Just  been  ordered  there  from  Jamaica — sec- 
ond lieutenant,  West  India  Regiment,"  ex- 
plained Westcote.  "  Restless  chap — itching  to 
get  off  to  South  Africa." 

"  You'd  cheer  him  up,"  suggested  Castleton 
with  more  seriousness  than  he  usually  spoke,  for 
he  wanted  the  man. 

"  Believe  I  should,"  assented  Westcote.  "  I'll 
go  with  pleasure,"  he  continued,  "  if  you're  in  no 
particular  hurry  to  be  off.  I'd  like  it  uncom- 
monly." 


1 34     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Castleton.  "We'll  ar- 
range details  later." 

At  this  moment,  when  both  men  were  about  to 
depart,  Dan  Denbeigh  passed,  and  his  eye  light- 
ing on  Westcote,  he  drew  up  a  chair  and,  un- 
asked, pushed  into  the  group  between  the  Eng- 
lishman and  Castleton.  Annoyed,  Castleton 
nodded  coolly. 

"  I  say,"  exclaimed  Dan,  gesticulating  omi- 
nously with  the  starting  crank  of  his  automobile, 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  "  your  d — d  airs  don't 
go  down  with  a  member  of  the  family." 

It  was  evident  from  his  first  word  that  the  boy 
had  been  drinking. 

An  awkward  silence  hung  for  a  moment  over 
the  table.  Castleton,  ignoring  the  remark,  said 
to  him  pleasantly : 

"  Saw  you  spinning  uptown  a  while  ago,  Dan. 
Your  machine  is  a  beauty,  absolutely  noiseless, 
isn't  it?" 

"  She's  a  hummer,"  said  Dan,  forgetting  his 
former  speech;  "  beats  the  town." 

For  a  few  moments  he  talked  quite  intelligently 
about  the  relative  merits  of  different  makes  of 
automobiles.  During  this  time  Castleton  de- 
cided that  the  sooner  he  got  him  home  the  bet- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     135 

ter,  but  would  Dan  go  with  him?  He  doubted  it, 
and  leaning  back  of  the  boy,  said  a  few  words  to 
Westcote.  That  individual  pushed  back  his 
chair,  but  not  before  he  had  been  singled  out  for 
Dan's  attention. 

"  Say,"  the  boy  began,  "  you  haven't  been 
showing  up  at  the  house  much  lately.  You're 
spoons  on  Leila,  aren't  you?  When  are  you  go- 
ing to  pull  it  off?  "  he  ended  insolently. 

There  was  a  general  stir  of  chairs.  Dan  in 
this  mood  was  not  agreeable.  Westcote,  though 
flushed,  took  his  insult  much  as  Castleton  had 
done.  The  boy  slouched  in  his  chair,  even  deeper 
in  his  cups  than  speech  indicated.  Bending  over 
him,  Westcote  said: 

"  May  I  not  go  up  to  the  house  with  you  now, 
Mr.  Denbeigh,  and  pay  a  visit?  " 

"  Come  along,"  grunted  Dan,  hit  with  the 
idea. 

The  automobile  crank  in  his  hand,  he  went  un- 
steadily out  into  the  street,  accompanied  by 
Westcote,  to  whom  Castleton  nodded  approv- 
ingly as  they  passed.  Arrived  in  the  street,  Dan 
forgot  his  machine  and  stumbled  into  the  first 
cab.  Thinking  it  wise  not  to  interfere  with  his 
movements,  Westcote  said  nothing  and  was 


136     The  Way  of  Belinda 

about  to  follow  when  Dan  shut  the  door  in  his 
face.  "  Don't  care  for  your  d —  society,"  he  shot 
out  at  him. 

" —  Washington  Square,"  said  Westcote  to 
the  cabby  and  returned  to  the  club. 

Dan  meanwhile  felt  aggrieved.  He  didn't 
know  just  why,  but  he  hadn't  seemed  to  enjoy 
the  club  at  all.  Half  way  downtown  he  was  sud- 
denly reminded,  by  noticing  the  crank  in  his 
hand,  that  he  was  not  spinning  along  in  his  auto- 
mobile. Out  of  a  bewildered  brain  he  managed 
to  extract  the  recollection  that  he'd  left  the 
machine  at  the  club.  A  peremptory  order  to  re- 
turn was  given  the  cabby.  Before  Dan  was  half 
way  back  he'd  forgotten  what  he  was  returning 
for.  The  neighborhood  suggested  Belinda. 
When  Dan  alighted,  he  stood  at  the  door  of  the 
Tyrol. 

Impatiently  he  waited  in  the  reception-room 
while  the  servant  announced  him.  Belinda,  on  re- 
ceiving his  card,  was  tempted  to  send  down  word 
she  was  not  at  home.  She  had  just  come  in  from 
a  round  of  afternoon  receptions  with  her  grand- 
mother, who,  leaving  her  at  the  house,  had  gone 
a  block  further  to  make  one  more  call.  She 
wished  now  she  had  gone  with  her,  though  her 
grandmother  had  rather  urged  her  returning. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     137 

Could  she  have  known  Dan  was  coming?  Of  all 
things  Belinda  most  disliked  a  tete-a-tete  with 
him,  but  she  reminded  herself  that  as  her  fiance 
he  undeniably  had  the  right  to  be  received,  and 
sent  word  that  he  was  to  come  up. 

She  was  arranging  the  flowers  which  had  just 
arrived  from  her  cousin  when  Dan  was  an- 
nounced. 

"  How  do?  Where's  the  old  lady?"  he  asked 
affably  on  entering. 

"If  you  mean  my  grandmother,"  replied 
Belinda  somewhat  frigidly,  "she  will  be  in 
directly." 

"  Needn't  hurry  on  my  account,"  he  said,  ap- 
proaching her  and  stopping  part  way  to  lean 
against  a  chair. 

"What's  the  matter?  Why  don't  you  sit 
down?  "  she  asked,  going  on  with  the  arrange- 
ment of  her  flowers. 

"  Come  here,"  said  her  would-be  lord  and 
master. 

"What  for?"  indifferently. 

"  Come  here,"  he  repeated. 

"  I  shan't,"  she  said  defiantly.  "  If  you  want 
me  you  can  come  where  I  am." 

He  did  not  move,  but  stood  watching  her  with 
a  cunning  expression  in  his  heavy  eyes. 


138      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Where  did  you  get  those  flowers?  "  he  asked 
ominously. 

"  They  were  sent  to  me,"  she  answered,  willing 
enough  to  tell  him,  but  annoyed  at  his  dictatorial 
manner. 

"  Some  d —  man,  I  suppose,"  coming  close  to 
her  and  suddenly  drawing  her  into  his  arms. 
"  You'll  accept  no  flowers  from  any  man  but  me, 
do  you  understand?  "  roughly,  "  any  man  but 
me."  He  kissed  her  between  words  to  emphasize 
his  royal  command. 

Startled  by  his  manner,  she  managed  to  free 
herself,  realizing  for  the  first  time,  with  horror, 
that  he  was  intoxicated.  Except  once  or  twice  in 
the  street  she  had  never  seen  a  man  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  and  hadn't  the  least  idea  what 
he  would  do,  or  indeed  what  she  should  do.  She 
had  an  instant's  thought  of  ordering  him  out  of 
the  house,  but  she  knew  he  would  make  a  scene, 
and  good  sense  told  her  that  such  a  course  was 
far  from  advisable.  To  turn  him  out  was  to  send 
him  who  knew  whither?  If  she  rang  for  a  ser- 
vant, it  would  be  exposing  Dan.  That  she  could 
not  do.  Any  moment  her  grandmother  might 
come.  Oh,  if  only  she  would !  And  yet  even  to 
her  Belinda  shrank  from  disclosing  the  man's 
degradation.  Dan  meanwhile,  after  one  fierce 


The  Way  of  Belinda     139 

outburst,  had  sunk  apathetic  into  a  chair  and 
dropped  his  head  in  his  hand. 

Presently  the  girl  went  over  to  him.  "  Dan," 
she  said  persuasively,  "  it  is  very  near  dinner- 
time. Don't  you  think  you'd  better  be  going 
home?" 

"  You're  cordial !"  he  muttered. 

The  girl  sighed. 

"  Dan,"  she  began;  but  not  getting  any  re- 
sponse touched  him  lightly  on  the  shoulder,  at 
which  he  raised  his  head  and  said  sullenly : 

"  Let  a  fellow  alone,  can't  you?  " 

When  Dan  got  ugly  the  girl  well  knew  he  was 
hopeless.  This  led  her  back  to  persuasiveness, 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  of  all 
methods  the  one  to  pursue  with  him. 

"  If  you'll  go  home  now,"  she  said  slowly,  and 
as  if  she  were  bribing  a  little  child,  "  I'll  give  up 
the  opera,  and  you  may  come  back  directly  after 
dinner." 

Only  part  of  this  penetrated. 

"  Come,  too,"  he  said,  rising. 

"  You  mean  you'll  come  to  the  opera?  "  she 
asked  of  a  man  past  answering  a  question. 

"  Come,  too,"  he  repeated,  taking  hold  of  her; 
"  cab's  at  the  door." 

He  reached  for  his  hat,  still  holding-  her  arm, 


140     The  Way  of  Belinda 

She,  at  last  comprehending,  stood  transfixed. 
Sick  with  the  disgust  of  the  past  few  moments, 
she  looked  at  him,  to  see,  not  the  man  who  had  so 
insulted  her,  but  Dan,  her  old  playmate,  the  wil- 
ful, obstreperous,  boyish  Dan  of  her  childish 
years.  Sudden  pity  swept  over  her  and  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears. 

"  I'll  drive  down  with  you,  Dan,"  she  said  de- 
terminedly, and  together  they  went  out. 

Once  started  on  this  strange  expedition  Be- 
linda had  two  fixed  ideas :  to  shield  Dan  and  to 
leave  him  safely  at  his  father's  door.  Going 
down  from  their  rooms  to  the  ground  floor,  she 
talked  incessantly  in  the  elevator,  giving  him  no 
opportunity  to  respond.  Afraid  lest  the  servants 
should  notice  his  unsteady  gait,  she  boldly  took 
his  arm  and  guided  him  through  the  hall.  He 
was  perfectly  docile,  and,  indeed,  the  girl  was 
doing  a  far  kinder  and  wiser  thing  than  she  knew. 
Once  in  the  cab,  content  with  her  hand  in  his, 
he  fell  asleep  and  did  not  wake  until  roused  by 
Belinda  at  his  father's  door. 

In  her  corner  of  the  cab  during  that  long  ride 
downtown,  Belinda,  with  eyes  staring  into  the 
night,  swiftly  reviewed  Dan's  life  and  hers,  out- 
wardly flowing  along  together,  inwardly  so  far 
apart,  made  irrevocably  so  by  this  unsuspected 


The  Way  of  Belinda     141 

weakness.  Would  it  free  her?  Her  heart  leaped 
at  the  thought — then  sank  again.  Even  to 
gain  her  freedom  she  would  not  expose  him.  All 
her  life  Belinda  remembered  that  wretched  drive, 
so  full  of  conflicting  emotions. 

At  the  Denbeigh  mansion  the  door  was  opened 
by  the  irreproachable  James.  Dan  fell  over  him. 

"  The  ladies  aren't  home,  miss,"  the  servant 
said  to  Belinda. 

"  I'm  not  coming  in,"  thankfully  replied  the 
girl,  whom  Dan  was  now  too  far  gone  to  notice. 
She,  seeing  him  safely  within  his  father's  door, 
felt  that  her  mission  was  accomplished. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  with  true  feminine 
contradictoriness  plucky  Belinda  cried  nearly  all 
the  way  home.  There,  on  her  arrival,  she  found 
her  grandmother  not  yet  returned  and  a  note 
awaiting  her.  She  opened  it  curiously. 

"  Belinda  dear,"  was  hurriedly  written  in  pen- 
cil, "  we  despair  of  little  Janie — it  is  pneumonia 
in  the  most  acute  form — our  hope  now  lies  in 
you.  She  cries  for  you  unceasingly. — '  Miss 
Lady — wants  Miss  Lady — I'se  her  Lady  Robin 
Redbreast — Miss  Lady '  again  and  again  until 
my  heart  bleeds.  Dr.  Noble  says  there  is  little 
hope  of  her  recovery,  none  absolutely  unless  it  is 
possible  to  quiet  her.  I  turn  to  you,  dear,  know- 


142     The  Way  of  Belinda 

ing  you  will  come.  Tell  your  grandmother  no 
harm  shall  befall  you.  Plead  with  her.  Surely 
she  cannot  refuse  the  cries  of  a  suffering  child. 
Come  quickly,  Belinda  dear." 

It  was  not  signed,  but  Belinda  had  never  failed 
when  Esther  Lovering  called. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

"  The  time  has  come,  the  Walrus  said,  to  talk  of 
many  things." 

ALICE  IN  WONDERLAND. 

"  MY  precious  girl,"  cried  Esther,  kissing  her ; 
"  I  knew  you'd  come." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl;  "  how  is  she?  " 

"  Sleeping  now,  dear ;  worn  out  at  last.  Can 
you  stay  awhile?  Dr.  Noble  is  coming  in  again 
at  nine.  Susie  is  sitting  with  her  now.  That 
child's  devotion  is  wonderful.  Any  moment 
Janie  may  wake  and  call  for  you.  It  is  singular 
with  what  pertinacity  you  haunt  her  mind." 

"Poor  little  'Lady  Redbreast'!  How  I've 
missed  her  all  this  time !  " 

"  You  never  told  me  why  your  grandmother 
forbade  your  coming  any  more,  dear." 

"  No,"  replied  Belinda ;  "  it  would  have  only 
made  you  unhappy.  It  was  bad  enough  as  it 
was." 


144     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Is  this  the  little  girl  who  used  to  share  all 
her  secrets  with  me  ?  "  asked  the  woman,  gazing 
fondly  at  her. 

"  No,  you  old  darling,"  cried  the  impulsive 
Belinda ;  "  it  isn't  the  same  at  all.  That  was  a 
naughty  little  girl,  who  was  bad  all  the  time  and 
loved  you  to  distraction — this  is  a  good  little 
girl,  who  always  does  what  she  is  told." 

"  And  doesn't  like  it,  by  the  look  of  her,  eh  ?  " 
jestingly  commented  Esther,  who  felt  the  hidden 
meaning  in  the  girl's  words. 

Neither  spoke  for  a  moment.  Esther  busied 
herself,  helping  Belinda  off  with  her  wraps  and 
making  her  comfortable  in  the  den. 

"  I  think,"  said  Belinda,  "  I  ought  to  send  a 
note  right  away  to  Nana." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Esther ;  "  sit  down  at  the 
table,  dear." 

"  She  doesn't  know  I'm  here,"  casually  an- 
nounced Belinda. 

"  Oh,  my  dear,"  said  the  woman,  "  I'm  sorry 
for  that." 

"  So  am  I,"  agreed  Belinda ;  "  but  she  wasn't 
in,  and  I  couldn't  wait,  and  I  wouldn't  be  here  if 
I  had,"  somewhat  confusedly. 

She  began  to  write  hurriedly,  and  finished  the 
note,  which  she  handed  to  Miss  Levering. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     145 

"  Is  there  any  one  you  can  send  up  with  it  right 
away  ?  "  she  asked. 

The  woman  went  out,  in  a  few  moments  re- 
turning. 

"  Well,"  began  the  girl,  eying  her  as  she 
entered,  "  you  might  as  well  say  it.  I  know  you're 
scolding  me  in  your  mind." 

"  I'm  troubled,"  confessed  Esther,  "  that  you 
came  without  your  grandmother's  permission. 
I  dread  the  consequences  for  you,  dear." 

"  There !  "  cried  the  girl,  "  I  knew  it.  It's  just 
the  same  old  story  over  again.  No  matter  what 
I  do,"  vehemently,  "  I  can't  please  any  one.  Nana 
scolds  me  about  nothing,  Dan  finds  fault  with  me 
the  whole  blessed  time,  and  now  you  begin!  I 
might  as  well  die,  and  be  done  with  it ! "  She 
burst  into  hysterical  sobbing,  startling  to  Esther, 
who  had  never  seen  her  like  this. 

"  Dear,  dear,"  soothingly  cried  the  woman, 
putting  her  arms  around  her,  "  I  didn't  mean  to 
scold  you — it  was  like  my  plucky  little  girl  to 
come  at  once.  Under  the  circumstances,  I'm  sure 
your  grandmother  will  forgive  you." 

"  I  don't  care  whether  she  does  or  not,"  sobbed 
the  belligerent  Belinda. 

"  You're  all  tired  out,  dear,"  comforted  Esther, 
smoothing  her  hand  over  the  wavy,  bowed  head. 


146     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Come  and  sit  in  father's  big  chair  and  tell  me 
all  about  it." 

Belinda  dug  her  handkerchief  viciously  into 
her  eyes.  "  I  guess  I'm  that  naughty  little  girl 
again  who  was  bad  all  the  time,"  she  said  with 
an  attempt  at  playfulness. 

"  And  who  used  to  crawl  into  a  certain  stern 
old  governess's  lap  to  '  fess '  ?  Would  you  like 
that,  Belinda?" 

"  Oh,  wouldn't  I !  "  exclaimed  Belinda,  aching 
for  sympathy. 

Esther  sat  down  in  the  big  chair  and  took  the 
girl  in  her  arms.  "  Talk,  dear,  or  not,  as  you 
like,"  said  this  mother  to  all  children ;  "  you  need 
a  little  rest." 

Belinda  heaved  a  sigh,  and  lay  very  still.  All 
the  unrest  of  the  past  weeks  seemed  to  drop  from 
her  in  that  loving  embrace.  Thus  holding  her, 
the  woman,  exhausted  by  long  days  and  nights 
of  nursing,  felt  her  own  tired  nerves  relax;  and 
with  head  thrown  back  and  eyes  closed  half  dozed 
in  the  quiet  room,  body  passive,  mind  inactive, 
except  as  dreamily  it  reverted  to  those  old  days 
at  the  Tyrol,  so  happily  recalled. 

After  a  long  time  the  girl  said,  "  Peggy" — 
that  being  her  pet  name  for  her  governess — 
"  Peggy/'  quite  softly,  "  are  you  asleep  ?  " 


The  Way  of  Belinda     147 

"  No,  dear/'  replied  the  woman,  turning  her 
head  toward  Belinda ;  "  is  the  naughty  little  girl 
going  -to  '  fess'  ?  " 

"  Dan  Denbeigh  drinks,"  Belinda  said  abruptly. 
It  was  out  at  last. 

"  Oh,  I  hope  not ! "  exclaimed  Esther,  who 
strongly  disliked  him. 

Whereupon,  having  blurted  out  the  fact,  Be- 
linda followed  it  with  a  full  account  of  what  had 
happened. 

"Wasn't  it  terrible,  Peggy?  But  I  wouldn't 
have  Nana  or  his  people  know  for  the  world." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  the  woman  curiously. 

"  Because  it's  so  awful,  so  degrading.  I'm 
sure  Dan  will  feel  so  when  he's  himself;  and  if 
only  I  know  about  it,  he  needn't  be  so  frightfully 
humiliated." 

"  You're  a  staunch  friend,  Belinda.  Not  many 
girls  would  be  inclined  to  shield  him.  On  the 
contrary,  in  your  position  they'd  make  it  a  power- 
ful weapon  against  him.  I'm  glad  you  used  your 
wits  to  manage  him  and  did  it  so  successfully. 
It  is  a  great  thing  in  life,  dear,  to  rise  to  the 
occasion — to  be  equal  to  the  emergency.  I  like 
to  feel  that  you  always  will." 

"  Don't  you  remember,"  said  Belinda,  glowing, 
feeling  well  repaid  by  this  praise  for  what  she 


148      The  Way  of  Belinda 

had  done,  "  how  I  adored  that  story  "  The  Emer- 
gency Mistress"  in  an  old  St.  Nicholas  when  I 
was  a  child  ?  I  used  to  make  you  read  it  over  and 
over  again." 

She  suddenly  sat  up,  and  reaching  over  for 
a  low  stool,  pulled  it  to  Miss  Lovering's  feet,  and 
sat  down  upon  it. 

"I'm  a  selfish  pig  to  make  you  hold  me  when 
you're  probably  ten  thousand  times  more  tired 
than  I  am,  you  blessed  old  thing."  She  rubbed 
her  face  against  the  woman's  knee  affectionately. 

"  I  shall  never  marry  Dan,"  she  said  emphati- 
cally. "  Up  to  now,  Peggy,  I  thought  it  didn't 
matter — nothing  mattered — but  all  the  way  going 
down  with  him  in  the  cab  I  was  filled  with  such 
loathing  that  it  turned  me  sick.  I  never  had  such 
an  ugly  feeling  before.  I  wanted  to  scream,  it 
was  so  dreadful." 

"  Don't  judge  him  too  harshly,  dear,  for  what 
was,  perhaps,  only  momentary  weakness,"  ad- 
monished Esther. 

"  I  wouldn't — at  least,  I  don't  think  I  would" 
— trying  to  be  fair ;  "  but  it  isn't  that,"  continued 
Belinda.  "  I  know  now  the  loathing  has  been 
there  for  ages,  growing,  growing,  until  all  of 
a  sudden  it  nearly  strangled  me.  I  hate  him,  I 
hate  him !  It  is  terrible  to  hate  a  person." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     149 

The  woman  laid  her  two  cool  hands  on  the 
girl's  hot  forehead. 

"  Get  it  all  out,  Belinda.  You  won't  feel  so 
bitter  then." 

"  I  want  to  feel  bitter,"  persisted  the  girl ;  "  I've 
felt  that  way  inwardly  so  long." 

Miss  Lovering  did  not  aggravate  her  by  telling 
her  that  these  were  reprehensible  feelings — that 
to  hate  a  fellow-creature  was  wicked,  and  that 
she  must  bring  herself  to  a  better  state  of  mind. 
To  moralize  was  not  Esther's  way.  She  knew 
the  girl's  mood  was  the  natural  outcome  of  trying 
weeks,  culminating  in  the  miserable  experience 
of  the  afternoon — a  mood  justifiable  enough. 
And  she  sought  only  to  comfort  her,  seeing  full 
well  for  this  child  of  her  heart  threatening 
breakers  ahead. 

To  divert  her,  she  talked  about  the  Kinder- 
garten Club,  various  children  Belinda  had  known, 
how  they  were  getting  on,  and  how  often  they 
asked  for  her.  Some  of  the  little  girls  were  trying 
to  learn  to  knit,  Esther  told  her,  and  one  of  them 
— the  one  farthest  along  in  her  work — said  her 
white  strip  was  going  to  be  a  neckscarf  for  the 
pretty  Miss  Lady  when  she  came  back.  At  this 
Belinda  smiled  through  wet  eyes.  Then  in  her 
low,  sweet  voice  the  woman  talked  of  Janie — 


150     The  Way  of  Belinda 

how  she  had  found  her  the  morning  Susie  took 
her  there.  Even  dragged  from  the  recesses  of 
her  memory  the  incident  of  the  pig's  foot,  which 
caused  Belinda  to  smile  again.  Then  she  told 
how  the  fever  had  possessed  Janie,  gaining  force, 
until  from  day  to  day  she  seemed  being  swept 
from  them  by  the  dread  disease.  She  spoke  of 
the  many  offers  of  assistance  she  had  had  from 
the  neighbors;  her  endeavor  to  keep  on  uninter- 
ruptedly with  her  customary  work;  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  Westcote,  the  Englishman,  who  called 
every  day  to  offer  his  services ;  the  thoughtf ulness 
of  Mr.  Blake,  who  had  been  useful  to  her  in  a 
dozen  ways. 

"  Mr.  Blake ! "  repeated  Belinda,  suddenly 
lifting  her  head. 

"  Yes,  dear,  a  newspaper  friend  of  mine." 

"  I  remember  now,"  almost  inaudibly ;  "  he 
said  he  knew  you." 

"  Do  you  know  him?  "  asked  Esther. 

"I  thought  I  did,"  the  girl  answered;  "but 
I  was  mistaken."  Then  in  swift  resentment  she 
added : 

"  Peggy?  ne  was  the  cause  of  my  not  coming 
any  more  to  see  you !  " 

"Mr.   Blake?"  cried  the  astonished  woman. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     151 

"  But  I  thought  you  just  said  you  didn't  know 
him!" 

"  I  did ;  but  I  do,  and  I  don't,  and  I  don't  want 
to.  He's  the  most  contemptible  man  on  earth! 
'  The  lowest  type,'  Nana  says." 

"Belinda!"  gasped  Esther;  "you  make  me 
feel  as  if  something  were  going  round  in  my 
head.  Do  say  what  you  mean." 

Nothing  loath  to  free  her  mind,  Belinda  ex- 
plained to  the  puzzled  woman  that  which  seemed 
inexplicable.  It  all  lay  so  near  the  girl's  heart 
that  she  poured  it  out  in  trembling  words,  half 
choked  with  sobs. 

"  I  trusted  him,  Peggy — trusted  him.  How 
could  I  help  it? — he  was  so  good  and  kind — and, 
oh,  how  he  abused  it !  " 

"  It's  odd  that  no  knowledge  of  this  ever  came 
to  me,"  soliloquized  Esther.  "  What  paper  was 
it  in,  Belinda?" 

"  That  dreadful  Globe.  Oh,  I'm  so  thankful 
you  never  saw  it,  I  hoped  you  wouldn't — I  would 
have  died  if  you  had.  I  never  wanted  you  to 
know  about  it,  Peggy,  I  was  so  dreadfully 
ashamed."  She  hid  her  face  in  the  woman's  lap 
with  a  childish  movement. 

"  Dear,"  Esther  said,  "  Mr.  Blake  has  no  more 


152      The  Way  of  Belinda 

connection  with  the  Globe  than  you  have.  There 
is  some  mistake,  even  admitting  he  would  be 
guilty  of  such  a  thing,  and  of  that  nothing  could 
convince  me.  How  did  you  know  who  he  was? 
Did  he  introduce  himself  ?  You  say  he  mentioned 
knowing  me  ?  " 

Belinda  told  of  her  meeting  him  at  the  Den- 
beighs'. 

"  I  didn't  know  his  name,"  explained  the  girl 
in  a  tense  voice,  "  until  one  night  long  after.  I 
met  him  at  a  vaudeville  in  cousin  Ronalds's 
studio.  Nana  herself  presented  him  to  me. 
Cousin  Ronalds  had  presented  him  to  her.  You 
can  fancy  how  that  astonished  me,  and  how  I 
snubbed  him.  I  suppose  he  was  reporting  the 
party,  and  I  longed  to  take  cousin  Ronalds  aside 
and  tell  him  it  wasn't  safe  to  have  a  man  like  that 
about." 

"  Why  didn't  you  ?  "  Esther  asked,  amused  in 
spite  of  her  deep  interest. 

"  I  don't  know,"  faltered  Belinda. 

"  Mr.  Blake  doesn't  do  society  reporting,  dear ; 
and  do  you  think  it  likely  that  a  relative  of  yours 
would  present  to  your  grandmother  an  undesir- 
able person  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  again  she  faltered. 

"You're  usually  such  a  reasoning  little  body 


The  Way  of  Belinda     153 

that  I'm  astonished.  You  evidently  haven't 
thought,  dear,"  continued  Esther. 

"  I've  thought  of  nothing  else  all  winter — 
nothing  else  morning,  noon,  and  night ! " 
burst  from  her.  "  Peggy,  now  you  know  every- 
thing!" 

Her  confession  filled  the  little  room.  Esther 
held  the  silence  sacred.  For  some  moments 
neither  moved,  then  she  stooped  and  kissed  the 
wavy  head. 

"  My  precious  little  girl,"  she  whispered  and 
left  her. 

This,  then,  was  what  had  been  troubling  Be- 
linda— produced  the  change  so  noticeable  to 
Esther  the  few  times  during  the  past  months  she 
had  been  able  to  get  up  to  the  Tyrol  to  see  the 
girl;  accounted  for  her  indifference  to  things 
transpiring,  her  acquiescence  in  an  engagement 
against  which  she  had  long  protested.  She  had 
built  for  herself  a  wall  around  shattered  illusions, 
among  which  she  dwelt  alone.  Thus  thought  the 
loving,  reasoning  Esther,  while  the  girl  she  had 
left  seemed  to  have  almost  ceased  breathing,  so 
immovably  did  she  continue  to  sit  on  the  little 
stool,  her  head  against  the  chair.  Her  back  to  the 
door,  Belinda  was  unaware  of  the  entrance  of  a 
man,  and  unconscious  of  his  presence  until  a 


154     The  Way  of  Belinda 

strangely  familiar  voice,  that  set  her  heart  throb- 
bing, said : 

"  I — I  beg  your  pardon ;  they  told  me  I  should 
find  Miss  Levering  here." 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  every  nerve  tingling. 

"  Mr.  Blake !  "  she  exclaimed  with  a  startled 
cry;  and  then  with  some  attempt  at  dignity, 
"  Good-evening,"  not  knowing  whether  she  were 
going  to  be  civil  or  not. 

He  started  to  go  out  to  relieve  her  of  his  hated 
presence,  when  she  said,  as  if  she  had  suddenly 
made  up  her  mind  to  say  something,  every  word 
of  which  was  a  painful  effort,  "Mr.  Blake,  did 
you — may  I  ask  you  a  question  ?  " 

Her  embarrassment  pained  him. 

"  Any  question  you  like,  Miss  Leigh,"  he  re- 
plied earnestly,  praying  she  would  ask  the  one 
he  most  longed  to  answer. 

She  twisted  her  hands  nervously  together,  but 
looked  squarely  into  his  face.  He  liked  that. 

"  Did  you — you — write — that — thing  about — 
me — in — the — Globe?"  slowly  dragging  the 
words  out  one  by  one. 

"  I  did  not,"  he  said  emphatically,  face  lighting. 

"  Oh,"  she  cried,  "  why  didn't  you  tell  me,  why 
didn't  you?" 

"You  gave  me  no  opportunity,  Miss  Leigh; 


The  Way  of  Belinda     155 

and  if  you  had,  I  would  not  have  availed  myself 
of  it.  It  seemed  to  me  if  you  could  believe  me 
guilty  of  a  vulgar,  sensational  story  like  that, 
it  ought  not  to  make  any  difference  to  me  what 
you  thought.  It  has,  though,"  under  his  breath, 
"gad,  it  has!" 

The  girl  sank  trembling  into  a  chair. 

"  I  can't  say  anything,"  she  began  brokenly ; 
"  I  don't  know  what  to  say." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  say,"  he  hastened  to 
reassure  her.  "  It  was  a  natural  mistake — one  I 
might  easily  have  rectified  but  for  my  confounded 
pride."  It  was  characteristic  of  the  man  to  shift 
the  blame  to  his  own  shoulders. 

"  When  the  story  came  out  I  thought  it  more 
than  likely  you  would  not  see  it — then  if  you  did, 
I  hugged  the  faint  hope  that  you'd  know  I  never 
would  so  abuse  your  confidence — as  if  you'd 
know  whether  I  was  that  sort  or  not!  It  was 
absurd  of  me  to  expect  it.  I  knew  it,  so  I  fell 
back  on  the  possibility  of  your  realizing  that  the 
story  was  altogether  too  incorrect  and  distorted 
to  have  come  from  me.  This  consoled  me 
up  to  the  time  I  met  you  at  Mr.  Castle- 
ton's;  then  I  knew  you  thought  the  worst  of  me 
— and,  of  course,  after  that  Madame  Ronalds 
must,  too." 


156     The  Way  of  Belinda 

",Why  not  cousin  Ronalds  also?"  asked  the 
girl. 

"  Because  he  knows  me  and  my  work — he 
knows  I  have  never  had  any  Globe  connection." 

Miss  Lovering's  words  of  a  few  moments 
before ! 

"  Don't  newspaper  men  write  for  all  the 
papers  ?  "  she  asked  curiously. 

"  No,"  with  a  smile ;  "  reporters  don't.  They 
write  only  for  the  paper  which  employs  them." 

"  Oh !  "  she  exclaimed ;  then,  "  I  never  told 
my  grandmother  or  any  one  that  it  was  you — 
or,  I  mean,"  she  corrected,  "  that  I  thought  it 
was  you  who  wrote  it." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said  simply. 

"  I  wanted  to  that  night  at  the  studio,"  went 
on  Belinda,  "  when  I  saw  you  talking  to  my 
grandmother.  I  longed  to  expose  you — I  thought 
it  would  be  fun  to  give  her  the  shock — but  some- 
how— I  didn't,"  she  ended  lamely,  suddenly 
growing  embarrassed  again. 

"  Thank  you  again,"  he  said  gravely.  "  May 
I  sit  down  ?  "  he  asked,  for  all  the  while  he  had 
been  under  cross-examination  he  had  been  stand- 
ing, like  a  man  in  the  witness-box.  She  nodded ; 
and  dropping  into  the  chair  by  the  table,  he  con- 
tinued : 


The  Way  of  Belinda     157 

"  If  it  does  not  annoy  you,  Miss  Leigh,  I  will 
wait  here  until  Miss  Levering  comes  down.  I 
stopped  in  a  moment  to  see  if  I  could  be  of 
service." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  said,  suddenly  remembering 
what  Esther  had  said  about  his  attentiveness. 

For  a  moment  neither  spoke,  he  fearing  to 
thrust  himself  upon  her,  she  wishing  he  would 
say  something — anything — until,  at  last,  the 
silence  growing  awkward,  she  asked : 

"  Do  you  remembei  Janie  ?  "  and  then  flushed, 
remembering  the  train  of  thought  to  which  it  led 
back. 

"  Yes,"  I  remember  Janie,"  he  said  quietly, 
looking  away  from  her  and  then  back  again,  his 
eyes  resting  gravely  on  her  face;  "but  the  nice 
part  of  it  is  that  once  or  twice  when  I've  run 
across  her  on  the  street  Janie  remembered  me." 
His  eyes  now  smiled,  but  his  face  remained  grave. 
"  I  have  sometimes  taken  the  liberty,"  he  con- 
tinued— "  a  great  liberty,  I  fear  you  will  think  it 
— of  calling  her  '  Lady  Redbreast.' ' 

"She  liked  that,  didn't  she?"  said  Belinda 
appreciatively.  "  She's  such  an  imaginative  little 
thing.  Sometimes  when  I  called  her  that  she'd 
get  very  shy,  and  other  times  she'd  get  very  vain, 
and  strut  around  like  a  veritable  robin." 


158      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  It  has  pleased  her  very  much  lately — when 
she  has  known  anything,"  he  exclaimed,  charmed 
with  her  graciousness. 

"You  have  seen  her?" 

"  Several  times.  Miss  Lovering  thought  it 
wise  when  she  asked  for  me." 

"  She  asked  for  me,  too,"  said  Belinda  jeal- 
ously, beginning  to  feel  as  if  he  had  usurped  her 
place,  though  liking  him  none  the  less  for  it. 

"  It  was  good  of  you  to  come,"  he  told  her. 

"  You  may  laugh,"  she  said  earnestly — as  if 
he  would  laugh  while  she  gazed  at  him  with  that 
troubled  look  in  her  pretty,  serious  face !  "  You 
may  laugh,  but  you've  been  responsible  for  keep- 
ing me  away  all  this  while." 

"  I  ?  "  wonderingly. 

"  Yes.  After  that — that  article,"  hesitatingly, 
"  my  grandmother  never  allowed  me  to  come 
down  here." 

"  I  see." 

"And,  of  course,  it  wasn't  your  fault;  now, 
was  it  ?  "  with  a  rising  inflection  he  thought  fasci- 
nating; "but  I've  hated  you  just  as  much  as  if 
it  had  been,"  she  added  complacently. 

The  conversation  was  swinging  into  dangerous 
channels.  The  man,  more  on  guard  than  she,  was 
realizing  this,  when  they  were  interrupted  by  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda     159 

entrance  of  Susie  bringing  a  tray.  She  put  it 
down  on  the  table,  and  pulled  a  note  out  of  her 
apron  pocket,  which  she  handed  the  girl.  Then 
turning  to  Blake,  she  said : 

"  Miss  '  Loving  '  sez  will  you  please  step  down 
to  see  her  in  the  kindergarten  room,  sir." 

The  man,  longing  to  remain,  excused  himself 
and  at  once  followed  her  downstairs. 

The  girl  looked  curiously  at  the  tray,  and  then 
lifting  the  linen  cloth  covering  it,  beheld  a  simple, 
dainty,  cold  supper,  attesting  to  thoughtful, 
loving  hands. 

"  That  blessed  old  Peggy,"  she  said  to  the 
air,  though  desire  to  eat  was  farthest  from  her 
inclination.  She  then  opened  her  grandmother's 
note,  and  read: 

"  BELINDA  :  Since  you  choose  wilfully  to  dis- 
obey me  and  take  advantage  of  my  absence  to 
carry  out  a  well-laid  scheme,  you  may  remain 
where  you  are  at  present.  I  do  not  wish  you  to 
return  to-night  or  to-morrow  or  until  I  give  you 
permission.  When  that  may  be  concerns  me 
alone.  That  you  should  prove  a  traitor  and  im- 
peril your  life  for  a  Hebrew  child,  who  might 
better  die,  is  what  I  now  see  too  well  I  could  but 
expect  from  your  association  with  your  former 


160     The  Way  of  Belinda 

governess,  whose  name  henceforth  is  dead  to  me. 
If  you  do  not  desire  to  share  her  fate,  you  will 
make  no  attempt  to  communicate  with  me.  For 
the  present  you  are  to  remember  that  to  me  you 
have  ceased  to  exist. 

"  MAUD  CASTLETON  RONALDS." 

The  signature  as  much  as  the  context  froze  the 
girl's  soul.  She  crumpled  the  note  to  get  the 
cruel  words  out  of  sight,  and  clutched  it  in  both 
hands  convulsively. 

Esther's  head  peered  in  at  the  door. 

"  Belinda,  dear,  will  you  come  ? "  she  said. 
"  Janie  is  calling  for  you." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  That  father  may  truly  be  said  miserable,  that 
holdeth  the  affection  of  his  children  tied  unto  him 
by  no  other  means  than  by  the  need  they  have  of 
his  help,  or  want  of  his  assistance,  if  that  may  be 
termed  affection." 

MONTAIGNE. 

BEFORE  a  large,  mahogany  writing-table  in  the 
library  of  the  Denbeigh  mansion  sat  Josiah  Den- 
beigh  alone,  his  wife  and  daughter  having  gone 
to  a  ball  to  which  they  had  been  unable  to  per- 
suade him  to  accompany  them.  Society,  in  its 
limited  sense,  having  been  unknown  to  him  in  his 
youth,  middle  age  did  not  dispose  him  favorably 
toward  an  order  of  things  which  robbed  him  of 
wife  and  daughter,  likewise  son,  who  never  spent 
an  evening  at  home.  Josiah  Denbeigh  rarely 
spent  an  evening  away  from  it.  Clubs  had  little 
attraction  for  him  after  dinner,  though  fre- 
quently late  in  the  afternoon  he  went  up  from 
Wall  Street  to  one  of  the  several  to  which  he  be- 
longed and  had  a  game  of  billiards  with  a  crony. 
Billiards  was  a  game  he  early  taught  Dan,  in  the 


1 62      The  Way  of  Belinda 

fond  belief  that  they  would  play  many  a  string 
together.  But,  bless  me!  the  boy  thought  bil- 
liards slow  when  there  was  nothing  up  on  the 
game,  and  foughc  shy  of  his  father's  clubs,  which 
he  had  no  hesitancy  in  declaring  were  fit  only  for 
fossils.  Nevertheless,  Mr.  Denbeigh,  in  spite  of 
this  castigation,  found  them  suited  to  him  and 
continued,  though  without  his  son,  to  enjoy 
there  his  favorite  game.  Even  billiards,  how- 
ever, failed  to  entice  him  out  in  the  evening,  un- 
less, indeed,  it  might  happen  he  had  been  drawn 
into  an  exciting  match  with  an  opponent  whom 
he  was  anxious  to  defeat.  Then  directly  after 
dinner  he  would  hasten  to  the  club,  where  he 
would  spend  so  delightful  an  evening  that  he 
would  wonder  why  he  didn't  go  more  often.  At 
rare  intervals  he  consented  to  dine  out  with  his 
wife,  and  always  appeared  when  she  entertained. 
These  functions,  so  numerous  during  the  season 
of  Leila's  debut,  had  so  bored  him  that  this  win- 
ter he  had  stoutly  put  his  foot  down  on  excessive 
entertaining,  thereby  securing  the  desired  peace. 
His  evenings,  nevertheless,  were  lonely.  He 
never  read  books,  and  soon  exhausted  the  even- 
ing papers.  An  amusement  which  it  would  have 
puzzled  his  brother  brokers  to  understand  some- 
times occupied  an  hour,  being  nothing  less  than 


The  Way  of  Belinda     163 

poring  over  the  colored  prints  of  an  old  atlas  he 
had  owned  for  years.  It  amused  him  to  see  how 
much  of  the  world  there  was  beyond  that  which 
was  bounded  by  the  horizon  of  his  family,  and  it 
interested  him  to  realize  how  much  there  was 
beyond  the  world  which  he  had  conquered. 
Sometimes  tired  out,  he  slept  in  his  chair;  for  out 
in  the  business  world,  where  he  was  a  power,  he 
labored  throughout  the  day  at  unceasing  high 
pressure. 

This  library,  the  sanctum  of  the  man,  was  by 
the  rest  of  the  family  unfrequented.  Like  him, 
none  of  them  had  any  love  of  books  or  any  ar- 
tistic appreciation  of  the  rare  old  editions  of  the 
classics  and  splendid  miscellany  collected  by  Mr. 
Ronalds,  whose  wife  had  sold  the  library  with 
the  house.  Mr.  Denbeigh,  having  paid  for  them, 
knew  their  commercial  value,  and  regarded  them 
as  a  good  investment.  Mrs.  Denbeigh  at  the 
time  thought  the  price  stipulated  scandalous,  but 
was  now  proud  of  possessing  them,  and  never 
failed,  when  occasion  offered — and  Mrs.  Den- 
beigh had  a  talent  for  making  occasion  when 
none  offered — to  boast  of  the  library,  where,  she 
would  say  complacently,  she  found  rest  from  her 
arduous  social  duties  in  the  quiet  companionship 
of  her  books.  She  had  once  heard  this  sentiment 


164     The  Way  of  Belinda 

uttered  by  a  ^Ma^'-intellectual  woman,  and  treas- 
ured it  up  to  use  it  with  great  effect  for  years 
afterward. 

It  was  distinctly  a  man's  room,  this  library,  by 
all  odds  the  most  attractive  and  individual  in  the 
house,  for  Mr.  Denbeigh  had  insisted  that  it 
should  not  be  remodelled  with  the  rest  of  the 
house,  but  retained  as  Mr.  Ronalds  had  used  and 
left  it.  Great,  deep-seated,  luxurious,  leather 
chairs  betokened  a  love  of  ease;  a  few  cushions 
strewn  on  a  leather  seat  running  round  the  bay- 
window  invited  indolence,  never  indulged  in  by 
the  present  occupant.  Near  the  window  stood 
the  large  and  commodious  writing-table,  where 
Mr.  Denbeigh  now  sat  and  which  was  his  chief 
delight,  for  in  it  he  kept  numerous  account 
books,  bills,  and  memoranda  of  household  and 
family  expenditure,  no  detail  of  which  was  too 
small  to  command  and  engage  his  attention.  A 
few  well-chosen  pictures  on  the  wall  and  the  nu- 
merous busts  of  illustrious  men  that  topped  the 
book-shelves  attested  to  a  love  of  art  as  well  as 
of  literature.  Mr.  Denbeigh's  eyes  never  rested 
on  these  things  that  he  did  not  experience  a  feel- 
ing of  satisfaction  that  he,  by  his  own  endeavor, 
had  achieved  the  right  to  surround  himself  with 
the  best  the  world  offered. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     165 

To-night,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  he  closed  the 
account  book  over  which  he  had  been  poring  for 
the  past  hour  in  search  of  an  error,  and,  opening 
a  drawer,  put  in  the  book,  closed  and  locked  it. 
He  then  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  put  his  elbows 
on  the  arms,  the  tips  of  his  fingers  together,  and 
wondered  how  Dan,  a  son  of  his,  could  have  so 
little  understanding  of  figures.  Little  under- 
standing of  anything  seemed  characteristic  of 
Dan.  The  father  sighed  heavily  and  tapped  his 
fingers  nervously  together.  He  hardly  knew  the 
boy  whom  he  had  left  to  be  brought  up  by  his 
mother,  and  sometimes  when  he  tried  to  know 
him  the  conviction  was  forced  on  him  that  the 
more  he  knew  him  the  less  he  cared  to,  for  the 
boy  was  not  the  son  of  his  father.  And  Leila! 
whose  child  was  she?  Not  his  nor  her  mother's, 
unless,  indeed,  she  were  the  child  of  the  mother, 
who  had  grown  so  worldly  that  he  sometimes 
had  difficulty  in  recognizing  in  her  the  wife  of  his 
youth,  whose  tastes  and  whose  mode  of  life  had 
been  simple  like  his  own.  Josiah  Denbeigh 
thought  a  man  should  be  worldly — it  was  his 
business  to  be,  else  how  could  he  push  to  the 
front  and  come  out  victor  in  the  fight  down- 
town? For  Ambition  is  the  world's  chief  hand- 
maiden, to  whom  Josiah  had  all  his  life  paid  as- 


1 66     The  Way  of  Belinda 

siduous  court,  and  who  now  lifted  him  high 
above  his  fellows.  But  a  woman,  he  thought, 
should  be  simple,  unspoiled  by  great  wealth — "a 
gem  of  purest  ray  serene,"  outshining  her  riches. 
His  mother,  though  of  humble  origin,  had  been 
of  this  high,  gentle  type,  illumining  a  narrow,  re- 
stricted life.  His  wife,  so  he  thought,  had  been 
like  her;  indeed,  that  was  the  chief  reason  why, 
among  the  girls  in  his  native  home,  she  had  been 
chosen  to  share  not  his  "  house  and  home,"  for 
at  that  time  he  possessed  none,  but  the  house  and 
home  he  meant  she  should  have  eventually.  And 
now  that  she  had  it  she  did  not  seem  to  care  for 
it  in  the  way  his  mother  had  cared  for  his  boy- 
hood home,  in  which  she  had  been  wife  and 
mother,  mistress  and  maid,  like  many  another 
gentlewoman  of  her  generation.  Measured  by 
his  mother,  his  wife  fell  far  short  of  his  ideal. 
Thus  mused  Josiah  Denbeigh,  forgetting 
changed  conditions. 

When  his  mind  wandered  back  again  to  Leila 
it  was  to  test  her,  too,  by  old  standards.  What 
would  his  mother  think  of  the  fashion  plate  who, 
calling  him  "  pupper  "  through  her  childhood, 
now  said  "  papa  "  like  a  wax  doll  pinched  hard 
on  the  second  syllable?  Now  that  he  thought  of 
it,  the  girl  herself  had  a  look  as  of  being  pinched. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     167 

There  was  no  freedom  in  her  movements — how 
that  walk  of  hers  irritated  him! — her  voice  had 
no  depth  or  resonance,  but  apparently  had  its  be- 
ginning and  end  in  her  throat;  her  laugh  was 
a  giggle,  which  seemed  to  pop  out  of  her  head 
somewhere,  and  was  always  to  the  fore  when  she 
talked.  That  she  did  talk,  and  to  most  people 
incessantly,  he  knew,  but  of  what  he  was  un- 
aware, as  she  rarely  addressed  her  conversation 
to  him,  and  when  he  overheard  it,  expletives  and 
slang  appeared  to  form  a  large  part  of  a  cackle  to 
him  unintelligible.  Occasionally  in  the  summer, 
at  their  country  place,  where  he  was  more  often 
at  leisure,  he  joined  Leila  and  a  girl  or  man  friend 
or  a  group  of  young  people  on  the  piazza.,  feel- 
ing a  desire  for  young  companionship.  But  his 
efforts  in  this  direction  were  not  crowned  with 
success.  If  it  was  a  case  of  Leila  and  a  girl 
friend,  their  conversation  would  at  once  cease 
and  a  certain  constraint  in  them  become  evident ; 
if  it  were  Leila  and  a  man,  the  father  was  treated 
to  an  exhibition  of  silliness  which  disgusted  him; 
if  it  were  Leila  and  a  group  of  friends,  the  young 
people  would  giggle  and  chatter  over  their 
affairs,  completely  ignoring  him.  Wistfully  he 
would  turn  away.  After  a  few  such  experiments 
he  gave  it  up,  believing  he  must  be  an  old  man, 


1 68      The  Way  of  Belinda 

since  such  a  gulf  lay  between  him  and  his  chil- 
dren. Sometimes  he  wondered  if  this  were  an 
experience  common  to  other  fathers — if  many  of 
them  were  made  to  feel  so  old  and  undesired  and 
out  of  it  all  as  he?  And  sometimes  he  felt  a 
strong  desire  to  ask  them,  but  never  did.  Loy- 
alty forbade  discussion  of  his  children  with  his 
friends.  Instinctively  he  shrank  from  intimating 
that  they  failed  to  be  what  he  expected. 

If  some  night,  in  a  conclave  of  fathers,  the  bar- 
riers formed  by  family  pride  and  masculine  reti- 
cence were  swept  away,  what  an  outpouring  of 
grievances  there  would  be!  No  wailing  or 
lamentation,  but  honest,  deep-seated  grievances 
would  come  out  from  their  long  hiding,  and  rais- 
ing earnest,  sorrowful  voices  chorus  together  the 
hurt  of  the  years.  Like  little  gnomes  emerging 
from  dark  recesses,  they  would  put  their  heads 
together  and  cry  aloud  how  the  slights  of  sons 
and  daughters  had  stunted  their  growth  and  kept 
them  in  dark  places.  Were  such  a  conclave  to 
occur,  no  good,  except  the  satisfaction  of  having 
spoken  one's  mind,  would  come  of  it,  unless  that 
Grievance  Chorus  swelled  out  to  the  ears  of  sons 
and  daughters — mothers  as  well. 

Mr.  Denbeigh  was  still  sitting  before  the  writ- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     169 

ing-table,  when  an  opening  of  doors  and  a  rustle 
of  skirts  announced  to  him  that  his  wife  and 
daughter  had  returned  from  the  ball. 

He  went  out  to  meet  them. 

"  Have  you  enjoyed  yourselves? "  he  asked 
genially. 

Leila  jingled  a  lot  of  baubles  she  held  in  her 
hand,  and  waving  them  before  him  said  boast- 
fully: 

"  I  got  fourteen  favors  in  the  cotillion !" 

She  had  methods,  pursued  by  some  girls,  as 
all  girls  know,  for  "  working  "  favors,  but  her 
father  didn't  know  this,  and  concluded  she'd 
been  a  great  belle. 

"  Leila  received  a  great  deal  of  attention,"  in 
furtherance  of  this  thought,  said  the  mother  pea- 
cock. 

"  That  must  have  been  pleasant,"  commented 
the  father.  "  I  presume  girls  like  to  dance  all  the 
time." 

"  You  didn't  suppose  I'd  be  a  wall-flower,  did 
you?"  snapped  the  girl,  who  thought  sarcasm 
a  form  of  cleverness. 

Her  father  did  not  reply,  and  they  all  went  up- 
stairs together,  separating  in  the  upper  hall.  Ar- 
rived in  her  bedroom,  Mrs.  Denbeigh's  maid  be- 


170     The  Way  of  Belinda 

gan  to  divest  her  of  jewels  and  gown.  Presently 
Mr.  Denbeigh  in  the  adjoining  room  heard  her 
call  him,  and  reached  his  door  to  hear  her  say : 

"  A  perfectly  dreadful  thing  has  happened," 
holding  her  breath  between  words  to  facilitate 
the  unhooking  of  her  gown.  "  Dan  has —  " 

"  Dismiss  Martha,"  he  commanded,  detesting 
the  freedom  with  which  she  discussed  family 
matters  before  her  maid. 

Just  at  this  critical  juncture  Mrs.  Denbeigh 
could  not  obey  him,  even  had  she  been  so  in- 
clined, but  his  words  had  the  effect  of  silencing 
her  for  the  moment,  and  when  the  tight  bodice 
was  off  and  the  skirt  pulled  down  she  stepped  out 
of  it,  and  wrapping  her  voluminous  form  in  a 
loose  robe,  sent  her  maid  away. 

"  What  about  Dan?  "  asked  her  husband,  en- 
tering. 

"  Belinda  has  jilted  him." 

There  was  no  response,  which  aggravated  his 
spouse. 

"  Well,"  she  exclaimed,  "  did  you  hear  what 
I  said?  Belinda  has  jilted  him." 

"  Um,"  said  the  man. 

"  For  pity's  sake  do  say  something — it's 
enough  to  kill  me." 

"  Where  is  Dan?  "  he  asked  slowly. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     171 

"  I  don't  know."  She  began  to  sniff  sus- 
piciously. 

"  Where  have  you  seen  him?  " 

"At  the  ball — he  showed  me  her  note — he 
wouldn't  come  home  with  us." 

"  Her  note?  "  he  repeated.  "  It  would  be  more 
like  her  to  tell  him." 

"  She's  staying  down  at  Miss  Lovering's  and 
wrote  him  from  there,"  she  explained,  not  notic- 
ing his  observation.  "  She  says  she  doesn't  love 
him,  never  has,  that  he  knows  it  as  well  as  she, 
and  that  she  can't  try  or  pretend  or  go  on  with 
it  any  longer.  It's  an  idiotic,  schoolgirl  epistle, 
and  she  winds  it  up  by  saying  that  he  needn't 
come  down  there,  for  she  shall  refuse  to  see  him. 
I  don't  see  how  she  happens  to  be  down  in  that 
awful  place  herself." 

"  She  gave  no  specific  reason  for  terminating 
the  engagement?  "  asked  Mr.  Denbeigh,  his  face 
grave. 

"Of  course  not,"  bristled  his  wife;  "what 
specific  reason  would  she  have?  "  she  asked,  her 
voice  rising. 

"  I  happen  to  know  that  she  knows  he  drinks 
— she  drove  down  here  with  him  the  other  after- 
noon when  he  was  drunk  in  the  cab." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  "  sharply,  more  re- 


172      The  Way  of  Belinda 

sentful  that  he  should  know  something  she  didn't 
than  of  the  fact  itself. 

"  I  was  in  the  library,  and  saw  her  help  him 
up  the  steps.  She  did  not  come  in,  and  James 
took  him  up  to  his  room.  I  wondered  then  if  it 
wouldn't  be  the  finishing  straw." 

"  She's  a  fool — a  little  fool !"  angrily  cried  Mrs. 
Denbeigh. 

"  I've  always  thought  her  above  the  average, 
and  am  now  convinced  of  it,"  he  said  firmly. 

"  You  would  take  her  part  against  your  son !" 
fairly  screamed  Mrs.  Denbeigh. 

"  Hush,  Alice,  hush !"  admonished  her  hus- 
band; "  there  is  no  need  of  confiding  in  the  entire 
household.  I  have  never  believed  Belinda  would 
marry  him,  though  I  sometimes  fancied  it  might 
be  the  making  of  him  if  she  did.  She  hadn't 
much  influence  over  him  though — she  didn't 
love  him.  It  was  evident  enough  to  one  who  was 
interested." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  think  she's 
thrown  him  over  because  she  happened  to  see 
him  in — '  in  his  cups,'  as  you  men  say?  "  she 
asked.  "  That  would  be  ridiculous — all  young 
men  drink  more  or  less." 

"  Some  do — few  as  much  as  Dan — the  habit 
grows  on  him." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     173 

"  Didn't  you  drink  when  you  were  young?  " 
demanded  the  mother,  instantly  on  the  defensive. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied;  "  it's  a  phase  most  young 
men  go  through,  but  it  didn't  happen  often,  and 
I  always  had  the  grace  to  be  ashamed  of  it." 

"  You're  hard  on  Dan,"  cried  the  mother  with 
acerbity,  "you  always  have  been;  you  don't 
understand  his  temperament,"  she  said,  having 
just  acquired  this  worn-threadbare  word. 

"  If  by  temperament  you  mean  his  disposition 
and  his  character,"  replied  her  husband,  "  I  think 
I  understand  them  far  better  than  you.  But  I 
have  no  influence  over  him,  I  never  tried  to  have, 
and  now  I  see  to  my  sorrow  it  is  too  late.  He's 
a  man  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  he  resents 
the  interference  of  his  father.  You  have  no  in- 
fluence over  him  either,  Alice,  except  in  small 
things.  In  all  big  ones  he  has  his  own  way — he 
is  wilful,  stubborn,  dissipated.  The  most  hopeful 
sign  I've  seen  was  his  wanting  to  marry  Belinda; 
but  I  doubt  if  he  ever  forgot  that  he  loved  him- 
self more  than  her." 

"  Go  on,  you're  killing  me,"  said  the  woman, 
now  sobbing  violently. 

"  You  say  I'm  hard  on  him,  but  I'm  not,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Denbeigh.  "  For  the  follies  of  youth 
I  can  make  excuses  times  without  end,  My 


174     The  Way  of  Belinda 

mother  did  it  for  me,  and  I'd  do  it  for  my  son, 
ten  times  over.  But  the  follies  must  not  become 
habitual.  The  sowing  of  wild  oats  is  just  as  much 
a  part  of  the  experience  of  a  healthy  boy  as  cut- 
ting his  teeth  in  infancy."  He  stopped  a  mo- 
ment, as  if  trying  to  find  the  right  words.  "  But 
the  crop  mustn't  be  allowed  to  grow — it  must  be 
cleared  out  before  it  becomes  too  rank." 

As  a  rule,  so  busy  was  Mrs.  Denbeigh  airing 
her  own  opinions,  that  she  seldom  heard  those  of 
others,  least  of  all  her  husband's,  who  so  rarely 
entered  into  discussion  of  family  affairs.  Im- 
pressed, therefore,  by  unsuspected  eloquence,  she 
listened  intently,  and  when  he  had  finished,  be- 
tween sobs  said,  not  unreasonably : 

"  If  you  knew  so  much  about  it,  Josiah,  why 
didn't  you  look  after  him?  " 

"  That's  it,  that's  it,"  he  repeated.  "  I  don't 
know  why  I  didn't.  The  children  seemed  to 
grow  up  without  my  realizing  it.  Before  I  knew 
it  Dan  was  what  he  is.  Until  then  I  gave  little 
thought  to  him;  now  I  see,  however  much 
thought  I  may  give  it  won't  be  of  much  use." 

"Josiah  Denbeigh,"  said  his  wife,  suddenly 
sitting  erect,  and  frowning  at  him,  red-eyed, 
"  you're  the  most  unnatural  father  I  ever  heard 
of,  talking  like  that  about  the  only  son  you  have 


The  Way  of  Belinda     175 

in  the  world !  I'm  thankful  now  little  Willie  died 
— the  precious  lamb  " — sobs  breaking  out  afresh. 
"  I  brought  Dan  up — the  darling — and  it's  a 
mercy  I  did,  for  he'd  have  had  a  hard  time  of  it 
with  you.  It's  wicked  to  be  severe  with  children, 
they  never  love  stern  parents — my  children  love 
their  mother,  and  I'd  like  to  know  what  you've 
slaved  all  these  years  for  if  it  wasn't  that  your 
children  should  have  every  wish  gratified.  I've 
never  denied  Dan  a  thing  he  asked  me,"  she  said 
triumphantly,  as  if  she  were  flaunting  a  virtue  in 
his  face,  "  never !  And  what  if  he  does  drink  a 
little — that's  nothing — you  just  said  yourself 
that  all  boys  sow  their  wild  oats.  Besides," 
proudly,  "  you  seem  to  forget  he  goes  in  the 
smart  set."  Her  tirade  ended  in  a  high,  shrill 
key. 

Her  husband  sighed  wearily.  "  Yes,"  he  said 
hopelessly,  "  I  feared  he'd  make  a  virtue  of  it." 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  Josiah,"  retorted  his 
wife,  who  rarely  did  understand  what  was  not 
couched  in  the  language  of  the  primer. 

"  Dan,"  he  avowed,  "  is  the  result  of  an  indul- 
gent mother,  a  careless  father — God  forgive 
him !" — under  his  breath — "  and  gives  himself 
up  to  dissipation  in  the  belief  that  he  is  posing  as 
a  man  of  the  world.  I  could  forgive  him —  " 


176     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Who  wants  you  to  forgive  him?  "  broke  in 
his  wife  in  a  frenzy  of  rage.  "  He  didn't  ask  you 
to,  did  he?  I  didn't !  He's  done  nothing  to  be  for- 
given for.  He's  the  sweetest  boy  in  the  world. 
He's  got  my  disposition — there's  nothing  of  the 
Denbeigh  in  him,  thank  Heaven !"  She  was  scar- 
let with  anger  and  weeping,  though  her  sobs  had 
been  swallowed  in  her  rage.  "  He's  my  darling 
boy,  Josiah  Denbeigh,  and  you  ought  to  go 
down  on  your  knees  before  me  for  daring  to  talk 
about  him  as  you  do." 

Mr.  Denbeigh  let  the  storm  burst,  and  then 
said  quietly,  and  without  realizing  the  fresh 
squall  he  was  stirring  up. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  not  see  Belinda  here  any 
more,"  his  tone  conveying  deep  regret. 

But  the  spirit  of  his  remark  escaped  Mrs.  Den- 
beigh, to  whom  the  substance  was  sufficient. 

"  Belinda !  Certainly  not !  Don't  mention 
her  name.  I  never  want  to  hear  it,  unless  Dan 
does  what  he  says  he  will  and  brings  her  to 
reason,"  said  his  mother,  reluctant  to  believe 
there  was  no  further  hope  of  a  Ronalds  connec- 
tion. Then  her  wrath  rose  again,  lashed  to  fury : 

"  She's  a  perfect  little  fool — a  perfect  little 
fool !"  she  repeated  several  times,  as  if  she  loved 
to  roll  the  words  under  her  tongue.  "  If  Dan 


The  Way  of  Belinda     177 

goes  to  the  dogs  she  will  be  entirely  responsible  " 
— a  fresh  handkerchief  was  resorted  to — "  en- 
tirely responsible,"  she  repeated  in  its  folds. 

"  She  will  not,"  sternly  said  the  master  of  the 
house,  who  was  not  always  master,  "  and  I  shall 
allow  neither  you  nor  any  other  person  to  lay 
any  blame  whatever  in  this  matter  on  her.  Do 
you  understand?  "  He  rose  and  looked  threat- 
eningly at  her.  "  I  mean  what  I  say."  And  she, 
having  one  other  time  in  their  experience  seen 
him  like  this,  knew  that  he  did.  "  If  Dan  '  goes 
to  the  dogs,'  as  you  say,  I  shall  be  to  blame,  and 
he.  He  has  not  one  clean,  honest,  manly  im- 
pulse in  his  whole  nature !" 

"  What !"  shieked  the  woman. 

But  the  man  had  passed  into  his  own  room  and 
closed  the  door. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

"  Love  came  by,  and  having  known  her 

In  a  dream  of  fabled  lands 
Gently  stooped  and  laid  upon  her 
Mystic  chrism  of  holy  hands." 

MRS.  BROWNING. 

To  Belinda  the  weeks  that  followed  were 
critical,  anxious,  happy,  crowded  with  new  ex- 
periences, and  marked  by  the  greatest  upheaval 
of  her  life. 

Her  first  entrance  into  the  sick-room  had  been 
attended  with  signal  success.  Little  Janie,  tossing 
wildly  with  fever,  screaming  under  the  doctor's 
touch,  pitifully  moaning  inarticulate  words,  saw 
her  the  moment  she  entered ;  and  with  a  gasp  that 
showed  how  she  struggled  for  breath,  cried, 
"  Miss  Lady !  "  The  next  second  the  feeble,  hot 
arms  were  around  Belinda's  neck,  and  a  flushed 
little  face  rubbed  against  hers  where  she  had 
dropped  by  the  cot,  kneeling.  Dr.  Noble  had  at 
once  taken  advantage  of  the  moment  to  adminis- 
ter the  medicine  against  which  the  child  had  so 
stubbornly  rebelled,  and  still  would  not  have 


The  Way  of  Belinda     179 

swallowed  had  not  Belinda  come  to  his  assistance 
by  encouraging  her  with  soothing  words.  Thus, 
it  came  about  that  Janie  would  take  her  medicine 
from  no  other  than  "  Miss  Lady." 

On  that  first  night,  long  after  Janie  had 
dropped  into  tranquil  sleep,  Belinda  remained  on 
her  knees  beside  the  little  cot.  The  rush  of  recent 
events  whirled  in  her  consciousness;  so  much 
that  was  startling  had  been  crowded  into  the  past 
few  hours.  Vaguely  she  thought  of  Dan.  Within 
four  hours  she  had  seen  him,  yet  already  he 
seemed  to  belong  to  some  part  of  her  life  so 
remote  in  her  mind  that  she  wondered  if  it  were 
really  she  who  had  lived  it.  When,  clearly  de- 
fined, the  figure  of  another  man  crossed  her 
vision,  she  buried  her  head  deep  in  the  bedclothes, 
as  if  to  shut  him  from  view.  And  the  pressure 
of  her  body  against  the  bed  crackled  the  note 
thrust  hurriedly  into  her  belt,  causing  her  to  re- 
member with  anguish  its  terrible  import.  "To 
me,"  Nana  had  written,  "  you  have  ceased  to 
exist — ceased  to  exist."  The  words  burned  into 
her.  "  Dear  God,"  inwardly  cried  this  suffering 
child  at  the  side  of  another,  "  help  both  your 
children." 

Miss  Levering,  who  remained  all  the  while  in 
the  room,  had  at  length  taken  Belinda  away ;  and 


i8o     The  Way  of  Belinda 

leading  her  to  her  bedroom,  which  she  was  to 
share,  had  undressed  her  and  put  her  to  bed,  just 
as  many  a  time  in  the  old  days  she  had  done  when 
far  less  tired  was  the  little  girl  than  now  was  the 
grown-up  one. 

The  following  day  Belinda  found  herself  estab- 
lished in  Miss  "  Loving's"  house,  sharing  with 
her  the  duties  of  nursing.  Acting  on  the  advice 
of  Esther,  to  whom  she  had  shown  her  grand- 
mother's note,  she  accepted  its  ultimatum,  and 
made  no  attempt  at  the  moment  to  communicate 
with  her  grandmother.  Esther,  deeply  troubled, 
deemed  this  the  wisest  course,  believing  from 
what  she  knew  of  Madame  Ronalds's  nature  that 
the  cruel  tone  of  the  note  was  due  to  momen- 
tary rage,  which  would  soon  spend  itself,  after 
which  Belinda  might  attempt  to  make  overtures. 
With  this  theory  Belinda  had  to  be  content,  if 
to  be  content  were  possible  in  her  perturbed  state. 
To  one  thing  she  made  up  her  mind  absolutely, 
that  she  would  once  and  for  all  break  with  Dan ; 
and  having  come  to  this  determination,  she  was 
impatient  to  act  on  it.  So  one  day,  with  the 
impulsiveness  which  was  part  of  her  natural 
heritage,  she  wrote  briefly  to  Dan,  telling  him 
that  their  engagement  was  at  an  end,  and  by  the 
same  post,  in  a  few  words,  she  announced  the 


The  Way  of  Belinda     181 

news  to  her  grandmother.  Esther,  not  having 
been  consulted,  knew  nothing  of  this  until  the 
notes  were  gone ;  when,  it  being  too  late  to  recall 
them,  she  refrained  from  comment. 

For  five  days  Dan  besieged  the  house  without 
gaining  admittance.  Esther's  maid  of  all  work, 
who  had  strict  orders,  stoutly  stood  guard  at  the 
door.  One  day  he  made  such  a  scene  on  the  steps 
that  Esther  was  forced  to  go  down  to  the  door 
and  remind  him  that  there  was  illness  in  the  house. 
He  replied  to  her  in  an  impudent,  sullen  manner, 
and  departed,  but  vented  his  ire  on  the  gong  of 
his  automobile,  which  he  clanged  so  viciously  and 
persistently  all  the  way  along  that  the  whole 
neighborhood  took  alarm  at  the  thought  of  fire, 
and  poured  out  to  follow  in  his  wake,  until  one, 
more  enlightened  than  the  rest,  said,  "  Naw,  it's 
only  one  of  them  buzz  machines,"  at  which  they 
had  all  turned  about  and  gone  home  again.  After 
this  Dan  ceased  his  fruitless  visits;  but  he  perse- 
cuted Belinda  with  notes,  which,  unopened,  she 
put  in  the  fire. 

In  the  meantime  Janie  had  taken  the  hoped-for 
turn  for  the  better.  Esther  and  Belinda  and  little 
sister  Susie,  working,  watching,  and  praying 
over  her,  had  the  infinite  satisfaction  of  seeing 
her  suffer  less  acutely,  sleep  more  naturally, 


1 82      The  Way  of  Belinda 

breathe  more  freely  from  day  to  day.  Waking, 
she  called  always  for  "  Miss  Lady ; "  and  Miss 
Lady,  waking  or  sleeping,  was  never  far  away. 
Blake,  who  had  the  freedom  of  the  sick-room, 
quietly  entering  one  night,  found  Belinda  sitting 
in  a  big  rocking-chair,  softly  singing  "  The  North 
Wind  Doth  Blow"  to  "  Lady  Redbreast"  in  her 
arms.  She  had  wrapped  the  child  in  a  blanket, 
and  to  screen  her  from  the  light,  sat  with  her  back 
to  the  table,  on  which  stood  a  lamp  burning  low. 
At  sight  of  him,  with  an  impulsive  gesture  she 
raised  her  finger  to  her  lips  to  warn  him  that 
the  child  was  asleep.  The  momentary  cessation 
of  her  voice  roused  Janie.  "  More,"  she  de- 
manded, opening  heavy  eyes. 

"  '  The  North  wind  doth  blow, 
And  we  shall  have  snow, 
And  what  will  the  robin  do  then  ? ' " 

sang  the  girl  softly. 

" '  He'll  sit  in  the  barn, 
And  keep  himself  warm, 
And  tuck  his  head  under  his  wing,  poor  thing.'  " 

"Poor  thing!"  drowsily  echoed  "Lady  Red- 
breast," never  tiring  of  her  favorite  song. 

The  girl  rocked  to  and  fro,  now  crooning  a 


The  Way  of  Belinda     183 

lullaby.  The  man  stood  aside,  feasting  his  eyes 
on  the  scene.  Unknown  to  her,  manifold  sides 
of  her  deep  nature  were  being  revealed  to  him. 

Under  intense  and  unusual  conditions  they 
were  meeting  with  perilous  frequency  these  days. 
Busy  reporter  as  he  was,  Blake  rarely  let  a  day 
pass  without  stopping  at  the  house,  which,  fortu- 
nately for  him,  was  in  a  quarter  of  the  town 
where  his  work  frequently  took  him.  He  came 
at  all  hours,  stopping  when  he  could,  sometimes 
for  a  moment,  at  the  most  for  ten  minutes,  not 
always  seeing  Belinda ;  but  when  he  did —  Lifted 
to  heaven  at  the  sight  of  her,  he  knew  the  danger 
and  the  rapture  of  it,  little  realizing  its  effect  on 
her.  To  live  for  this  short  time  close  to  the  gates 
of  Paradise  was  a  joy  for  which  he  would  cheer- 
fully pay  when  inevitably  the  gates  closed  in  his 
face.  And  he  justified  his  visits  by  the  fact  that 
he  had  made  them  before  she  came,  while  with 
ever-recurring  persistency  he  forced  himself  to 
remember  that  she  was  the  fiancee  of  a  millionaire 
and  soon  to  depart  to  a  world  in  which  he  had 
no  being. 

Belinda,  in  a  world  new  and  strangely  sweet, 
drifted  with  the  tide.  Subtle  influences  were  at 
work  in  the  girl's  soul.  Heart  possessing  her, 
carried  her  so  gently  down  the  stream  that  she 


184     The  Way  of  Belinda 

little  dreamed  she  was  being  swept  into  the  broad 
river  of  Happiness,  the  eddies  and  currents  of 
which  were  to  make  all  the  future  lights  and 
shadows  of  her  life. 

One  day,  thinking  of  Jerry,  Belinda  thought 
of  Westcote,  which  caused  her  to  turn  to  Esther, 
who  was  in  the  room,  and  say,  "  What  has  be- 
come of  Mr.  Westcote,  Peggy?  He  doesn't  seem 
to  come  any  more." 

To  which  Esther,  without  looking  up  from  her 
work,  replied,  "No;  he  hasn't  been  here  for 
several  days." 

"  Perhaps  he's  gone  away,"  she  suggested. 

"  Perhaps  he  has,"  said  Esther,  industriously 
plying  her  needle. 

"  Perhaps  you  sent  him !  "  suddenly  scenting 
romance.  "  Peggy,"  seeing  her  blush,  "  did 
you?" 

"  Perhaps  I  did,"  replied  the  woman,  cornered. 

"  Perhaps  you  shouldn't  have.  Oh,  Peggy !  " 
She  shook  her  finger  at  her,  and  going  up  to  her 
chair,  took  the  sewing  out  of  her  hands  and  said, 
"  Now  will  you  stop  work  one  single  minute  and 
tell  me  all  about  it?" 

"  There  isn't  much  to  tell ;  I  don't  know  that 
I  ought  to — "  remonstrated  the  woman. 

"  Peggy,"  severely,  "  cjid  I  ever  have  secrets 


The  Way  of  Belinda     185 

from  you?  Besides,  I  know  all  about  it  already," 
with  great  superiority. 

"  Belinda !  how  could  you  ?  " 

"  Put  two  and  two  together?  Easily.  Didn't 
you  teach  me,  you  goosey?  Two  and  two  make 
four — one  and  one  make  two.  You're  one,  Mr. 
Westcote's  another,  that's  two.  Two  together 
make  one.  Isn't  that  beautiful  arithmetic?  " 

Esther  laughed.  "  You're  incorrigible.  It's 
neither  good  arithmetic,  nor  logical,  nor  true." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  cried  Belinda,  "  is  it  two  together 
still  makes  two?  I  never  could  get  the  answers 
right." 

"  Indeed  you  couldn't,"  agreed  Esther.  "  I 
remember  once  in  fractions,  when  the  question 
was  something  about  a  farmer's  cows,  you  in- 
sisted that  the  answer  was  half  a  cow.  It  seemed 
to  me  rather  hard  on  the  farmer,"  she  added, 
hoping  to  distract  the  girl's  attention. 

Belinda  laughed  merrily,  but  though  she  loved 
all  such  allusion,  was  not  now  to  be  diverted  from 
the  subject  uppermost  in  her  mind. 

"  Peggy,"  she  said,  kneeling  down  before  the 
woman  and  gazing  up  in  her  face,  "  did  he  love 
you  and  you  didn't  love  him?  Was  that  it?  " 

The  woman  nodded. 

"  I  don't  wonder  he's  in  love  with  you,  you  old 


1 86     The  Way  of  Belinda 

darling,"  impetuously  hugging  her.  "  He  isn't 
half  good  enough  for  you,  though  he's  nice," 
condescendingly ;  "  and,  oh,  Peggy,"  giving  her 
a  little  shake,  "  you  might  be  a  countess — think 
of  that!  Peggy  Loving,  the  Countess  of  Des- 
borough.  What  would  Nana  say  to  that !  " 

"  I  fear  I  should  be  a  very  unsatisfactory 
countess,  dear.  I — " 

"  But  you're  so  congenial,"  broke  in  Belinda, 
not  waiting  for  her  to  finish.  "  Why,  Peggy, 
you  know  you  are!  He's  so  philanthropic  and 
good  and  has  exactly  your  ideas — you  know  he 
has,"  triumphantly. 

"  He  thought  so,  too,"  replied  Esther,  "  until, 
as  we  talked,  I  undeceived  him,  or  at  least  tried 
to  do  so.  We  have  the  same  purpose,  dear,  rather 
than  the  same  ideas." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  said  Belinda,  a  puzzled 
look  in  her  eyes. 

"  In  many  things  he  agrees  with  me,  dear,  but 
he  is  more  theoretical  than  practical.  Do  you  see 
what  I  mean  ?  He  believes,  as  I  do,  in  the  neces- 
sity of  knowing  conditions  before  attempting  to 
alter  them;  but  the  deeper  he  goes  into  things, 
the  more  he  will  require  some  one  to  do  the* 
probing." 

"  Why  not  you?  "  asked  Belinda. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     187 

"  I  wouldn't  be  a  good  tool,  dear." 

"  Leila  Denbeigh  would  give  her  boots  to  be 
his  tool  or  anything  else,  I  can  tell  you.  She'd 
be  wild  if  she  knew  he  was  in  love  with  you !  " 

"  Leila  ?  She  brought  him  here.  Does  she 
care  for  him  ?  " 

"  She  cares  to  be  Countess  of  Desborough." 

"  Belinda !  "  reproved  the  woman,  "  don't  say 
such  things.  They're  unworthy  of  you." 

"  Peggy,"  penitently,  and  no  one  could  be  more 
sweetly  penitent  than  Belinda,  "  forgive  me ;  but 
it  is  no  use  your  trying  to  make  a  saint  out  of  me. 
I'm  bad — I  always  shall  be.  I  like  to  be  bad.  I 
will  say  this,  though,  for  Leila,  that  lately  I've 
thought,  perhaps,  she  really  was  getting  serious 
about  Mr.  Westcote.  She's  acted  so  queerly. 
But  then,  you  know,  she  always  is  a  perfect  idiot 
over  men." 

"Belinda!" 

"  There  I  am  again !  But,  Peggy  dear,  if  you 
could  hear  her  talk !  " 

"  I  have,  dear.  She  was  a  silly  little  girl,  and, 
no  doubt,  she's  a  sillier  big  one;  but  you  must 
be  fair  and  remember  that  she  grew  up  under 
influences  that  tended  to  make  her  so." 

"  Without  the  superior  advantages  of  a  govern- 
ess like  you,  you  mean  ?  You  conceited  Peggy ! 


1 88      The  Way  of  Belinda 

Seriously,  though,  there  are  lots  of  nice  things 
about  Leila." 

"  Of  course,  there  are,"  heartily  responded 
Esther.  "  She's  full  of  good  traits  that  she  is 
half  ashamed  of  and  that  are  all  choked  down 
under  a  tangle  of  superficialities." 

"  How  do  you  know  so  much  ?  "  wonderingly. 
"  I  believe  that's  true." 

"  All  she  wants  is  a  chance,"  continued  the 
woman,  "  and  she'd  develop  into  a  very  different 
girl.  I'm  sure  of  it,  dear.  I  wish  Mr.  Westcote 
would  get  interested  in  her." 

"  But  he's  in  love  with  you ! "  exclaimed  Be- 
linda, who,  being  twenty,  scoffed  at  the  time-worn 
adage  that  the  heart  is  often  caught  on  the  re- 
bound. 

"  Esther  smiled ;  and  following  out  a  train  of 
thought,  said :  "  Leila  is  the  sort  of  girl  who  is 
likely  to  be  made  or  marred  by  the  man  she 
marries.  A  thoughtless,  inexperienced  young 
husband  would  never  advance  her  a  step.  She'd 
be  a  second  edition  of  her  mother.  But  if  she 
cares  for  Mr.  Westcote,  and  he  loved  and  married 
her,  she'd  strive  with  all  her  might  to  live  up  to 
his  ideal  of  her.  A  girl  like  that,  way  down  in 
her  heart,  knows  perfectly  well  she  doesn't  begin 
to  be  all  the  things  her  lover  fondly  pictures  her ; 


The  Way  of  Belinda     189 

but  if  she  has  the  beginnings  of  those  things  in 
her,  unconsciously  they  come  forth,  unsuspected, 
to  mould  her  character." 

"  I  see,"  said  Belinda  earnestly.  Then  after 
a  short  silence,  during  which  she  had  sat  very  still 
with  her  forehead  all  wrinkles,  she  announced 
tentatively,  "  She  would  be  a  good  tool." 

"  To  do  Mr.  Westcote's  probing?  I  think  she 
would,  dear.  He's  the  sort  of  man  who  would 
form  his  wife,  and  do  it  well;  and  she'd  play  the 
Countess  very  prettily  when  she's  a  little  older. 
Mr.  Westcote  will  never  make  philanthropy  his 
life-work.  Other  things  will  have  greater  interest 
for  him  by  and  by ;  but  he  will  always  do  a  great 
deal  of  good,  and  Leila  would  learn  to  help  him." 

"  Peggy*  you're  wonderful ! "  said  Belinda 
lightly.  "  I  seem  to  see  them  married  and  sailing 
away  to  foreign  climes." 

"  Don't  let  your  imagination  run  away  with 
you,  dear." 

"  How  Leila  would  adore  you  if  she  knew  what 
you  thought!  I  shan't  tell  her,  though,"  mis- 
chievously ;  "  but  when  I  see  Mr.  Westcote  again 
I'm  going  to  tease  him." 

"  Oh,  don't!  "  cried  Esther;  "  you  mustn't,  and 
please,  Belinda,  dear,  don't  ever  speak  of  this  to 
Leila  or  any  one.  You  mustn't." 


190     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Of  course  not,"  replied  the  girl  with  a  laugh. 
"  Did  you  think  I  really  meant  to?  I  was  only 
teasing  you." 

It  was  Saturday  afternoon,  and  a  glance  at  the 
clock  reminded  Esther  that  it  was  nearly  half 
after  three,  and  time  for  the  arrival  of  a  sewing 
class.  Janie  being  asleep,  and  Belinda  having 
nothing  special  to  do,  had  volunteered  to  assist 
Miss  "  Loving."  They  were  about  to  go  down 
together  to  the  kindergarten  room,  where  all  such 
classes  were  held,  when  Susie  appeared,  and  said 
that  Mr.  Blake  had  come  in  with  her,  and  was 
below  in  the  den.  Ascertaining  from  the  child 
that  most  of  the  club  members  had  arrived,  Miss 
"Loving"  turned  to  Belinda,  and  said : 

"  You  go  down  and  excuse  me  to  Mr.  Blake, 
will  you,  dear?  And,  Belinda,  give  him  these 
letters,  will  you,  please,  and  ask  him  to  be  kind 
enough  to  post  them  when  he  goes." 

Belinda  took  the  letters  and  went  down. 

The  man,  with  hands  behind  his  back,  was 
standing  before  the  picture  of  Burne-Jones's 
"  Golden  Stairs,"  absorbed  in  contemplation  of  it, 
apparently,  for  he  did  not  hear  her  until  she  stood 
beside  him.  Then  he  turned  swiftly. 

"  You  like  that?  "  she  asked,  looking  up  at  the 
picture. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     191 

"  So  much,"  he  replied.  "  It  feeds  the  imagina- 
tion." 

She  nodded  appreciatively,  conscious  that  he 
frequently  put  into  words  her  unexpressed 
thoughts. 

"  Won't  you  sit  down  ?  "  she  said.  "  Miss 
'  Loving '  has  a  sewing  class,  and  asked  to  be  ex- 
cused." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  replied.  "  Am  I  keeping  you 
from  anything  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  was  her  response;  "I  haven't  a  thing 
to  do." 

"  Nor  have  I,"  he  rejoined.  "  I'd  like  to  stop 
a  while,  if  I  may.  It's  my  off  day,"  he  explained, 
refraining  from  telling  her  that  it  was  the  longest 
"  off  day"  he  had  ever  spent,  since  interminable 
had  seemed  the  hours  between  his  waking  and 
the  time  when  he  thought  it  would  be  permissible 
to  make  an  afternoon  call  at  the  little  house  in 
Rivington  Street. 

"  What  do  you  do  on  your  off  day  ?  "  she  asked 
curiously.  "Sleep?  I  should  think  you  would. 
You  seem  to  have  to  prowl  around  so  much  at 
night  that  I  should  think  you'd  prefer  to  sleep 
above  everything." 

"  Oh,  I  manage  to  make  it  up  one  way  or  an- 
other," he  replied.  "  A  good  deal  of  it,  I  confess, 


192      The  Way  of  Belinda 

on  Saturdays,  but  not  always,"  with  some  embar- 
rassment, remembering  how  on  that  particular 
Saturday  the  consciousness  that  he  was  going  to 
her  in  the  afternoon  had  awakened  him  at  day- 
light. 

"  Do  you  know  if  Mr.  Westcote  has  gone 
away  ? "  she  asked,  fancying  she  had  made  a 
mistake  in  asking  him  such  personal  questions. 

"  No,"  he  replied ;  "  but  he  is  going  shortly 
with  Mr.  Castleton  to  Bermuda." 

"  On  the  yacht?  "  queried  the  girl. 

"  Yes.    In  a  week  or  so." 

"  Oh,"  she  exclaimed,  puckering  her  lips,  "  I 
wish  he  wasn't !  "  And  then,  realizing  more  fully 
what  she  had  said,  "  I  don't  want  cousin  Ronalds 
to  go  away !  " 

The  man  did  not  reply.  He  said  to  himself 
that  he  had  no  right  to  intrude  on  family  matters. 

She,  a  little  disappointed  at  his  unresponsive- 
ness,  said,  "  It  seems  odd  to  be  hearing  news  of 
my  family  through  you." 

He,  not  understanding,  but  longing  to  share 
every  thought  in  her  mind,  looked  questioningly 
at  her. 

She,  flushing  under  his  intent  gaze,  moved  in 
her  chair  uneasily. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  soon  be  leaving  us  ?  "  he 


The  Way  of  Belinda     193 

said,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  The  "  us"  slipped 
from  him  unconsciously,  but  no  sooner  was  it 
spoken  than  he  would  have  given  worlds  to  recall 
it,  hating  himself,  poor  fellow,  for  his  presump- 
tion. 

"  Shall  you  miss  me?"  asked  the  girl,  prompted 
by  mischief,  yet  longing  to  hear  what  he  would 
say. 

"  Miss  you !  "  His  voice  thrilled  with  a  deep 
chord.  With  a  supreme  effort  at  mastery  he 
walked  to  the  window,  turning  his  back  to  her. 

She,  on  the  brink  of  the  great  river,  trembled 
with  the  joy  his  tone  invoked. 

Turning,  he  caught  a  look  in  her  half-averted 
face. 

"  Belinda !  "  he  cried,  leaning  over  her. 

The  girl  hid  her  face  in  the  arm  of  the  chair. 

This  action  instantly  recalled  the  man  to  him- 
self. 

"  I — I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  faltered ;  "  I — 
Miss  Leigh — I  did  not  mean  to— to  annoy  you." 
He  still  bent  over  her,  every  muscle  tense,  his 
heart  in  its  wild  beating  suffocating  him. 

She  lifted  her  head;  and,  not  trusting  herself 
to  look  at  him,  laid  one  hand  gently  on  his,  and 
in  a  voice  scarcely  audible  said :  "  You — you 
couldn't  annoy  me." 


194     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Thus  disarmed,  the  whole  torrent  of  his  love 
broke  loose,  reason  abandoning  him. 

"  Belinda,  Belinda,"  he  cried,  the  name  sound- 
ing to  her  a  caress,  "  I  love  you — love  you — love 
you.  I  never  meant  to  tell  you.  Hundreds  of 
times  I've  said  over  and  over,  '  She  shall  never 
know,  she  shall  never  know.'  But  you  see  how 
weak  I  am.  I  must  tell  you.  For  days  I've  known 
I  must  tell  you,  and  yet  I  had  not  the  strength  to 
stay  away.  Oh,  my  dear,  my  dear,  let  me  say  it, 
this  once,  and  I  shall  never  again  annoy  you.  I 
love  you — love  you — love  you." 

Like  celestial  music,  the  words  rang  in  her 
ears,  but  she  made  no  sign;  and  he  continued, 
love  sweeping  him  on : 

"  You  shall  not  be  ashamed  of  my  love,  dear. 
Not  feel  it  wrong  that  I  have  told  you.  It  shall 
not  trouble  you.  I  have  never  forgotten  that  you 
belong  to  another,  but  a  woman  so  sweet  as  you 
is  not  loved  by  only  one  man.  I  ask  nothing, 
expect  nothing.  It  is  enough  to  have  breathed 
the  same  air  with  you,  to  be  willing  ever  after 
to  stand  aside  with  bowed  head  as  you  pass  by." 

"  And  if  I  stood  aside,  too  ?  "  came  in  a  tremu- 
lous whisper,  which  he  had  to  bend  lower  to 
hear. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     195 

"  It  would  be  like  you,  sweet,  to  stop  to  say 
a  word  to  cheer  me  on.  How  I  should  treasure  it 
as  I  gazed  after  you !  " 

She  lifted  her  head  and  turned  lustrous  eyes 
up  to  his.  "  But  if  I  stopped — to  stay?  "  queried 
eyes,  lips,  and  heart  in  unison. 

"  Belinda !  "  senses  swimming. 

She  put  her  arms  about  his  neck,  and  he  dropped 
on  his  knees  at  her  feet,  laying  his  head  against 
hers,  doubting  the  evidence  of  his  senses. 

"  I  do  not  belong  to — to  any  one,"  she  faltered. 
"  My  engagement  is  broken." 

"You  are  free?"  with  a  jubilant  cry,  lifting 
his  head. 

"  Yes ;  that  is,  not  exactly,"  said  the  mis- 
chievous Belinda,  who  even  in  the  most  solemn 
moments  of  her  life  could  not  refrain  from 
teasing. 

"  You  have  broken  it  because  you  love  some 
one  else  better  than  Mr.  Denbeigh  ?  "  savagely 
asked  the  man,  jealousy  consuming  him. 

"  Yes,"  murmured  the  girl,  "  that  was  why," 
a  suspicious  gleam  in  her  misty  eyes. 

"  Oh,"  he  cried  bitterly,  "  forgive  me,  forgive 
me.  I  was  mad  to  forget  for  a  moment  that  you 
never  could  belong  to  me ! " 


196     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  But  if  I  do  ?  "  leaped  from  her  heart  to  his. 

Transported  from  despair  to  joy,  he  kissed 
her;  and  she  nestled  close  in  his  arms. 

"  How  dared  you  tell  me  you  were  not  free !  " 
in  his  new  authority  he  demanded  with  pretended 
severity. 

"  Well,  am  I  ?  "  looking  up  with  dim  eyes. 

"  No,  no,  no,  a  thousand  times  no ! "  holding 
her  close. 

The  clock  on  the  mantel  shelf  ticked  warningly. 
Out  in  the  street  rose  the  shouts  of  playing  chil- 
dren. A  cab  stopped  at  the  curb  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  the  door-bell  rang  with  a  quick,  per- 
emptory clang,  but  they  heeded  it  not. 

"  Isn't  it  wonderful  ?  "  the  girl  said  presently. 

"  That  you  love  me  ?  Yes.  So  wonderful  that 
a  lifetime  will  not  fathom  it.  Belinda,"  earnestly, 
"  do  you  know  what  it  means  ? " 


CHAPTER    XV. 

"  But  grant  me  still  a  friend  in  my  retreat." 

COWPER. 

VOICES  were  heard  outside;  and  Esther,  with 
Ronalds  Castleton,  entered. 

"  Hello,  old  man,"  he  said  genially  to  Blake 
after  greeting  Belinda.  "  Didn't  expect  to  find 
you  here." 

"  Mr.  Blake  drops  in  often,"  said  Esther, 
coming  to  the  rescue,  instinctively  feeling  there 
was  something  in  the  air. 

The  girl's  eloquent  eyes  had  telegraphed  "  Go" 
to  her  lover. 

"  Miss  Lovering  is  very  good  to  me,"  said  the 
younger  man.  "  You're  off  soon,  I  suppose,  to 
Bermuda." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Castleton;  "  won't  you  come? 
Make  you  comfortable  on  the  yacht." 

"  Impossible,"  declared  Blake.  "  I'd  like  it  of 
all  things." 

"  Rough  trip,  I  fancy,  but  good  climate.  I'm 
going  to  take  this  little  girl  along." 


198      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"Me?"  cried  the  astonished  Belinda. 

"Why  not?"  queried  her  cousin.  "It's  just 
occurred  to  me,  but  can  you  think  of  anything 
nicer  to  do?  "  imperturbably. 

"Is  Nana  going?"  asked  the  girl,  perplexed 
at  this  turn  of  affairs. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  smiled  her  cousin,  "  I  can't 
say.  I  haven't  asked  her." 

Knowing  it  was  Belinda's  wish,  Jerry  took  his 
departure,  Esther  going  down  to  the  door  with 
him. 

"  Miss  *  Loving/  "  he  said,  using  the  name  they 
had  all  adopted,  "  may  I  come  soon  again?  "  in 
a  beseeching  voice  that  betrayed  him. 

"  Why,  of  course  you  may,"  not  unmindful 
of  the  new  look  in  his  face.  "  You  are  always 
welcome." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  "  thank  you,"  and 
bolted  out  the  door. 

Upstairs,  Castleton,  getting  Belinda's  permis- 
sion to  smoke,  had  ensconced  himself  comfortably 
in  the  old  big  chair,  and  was  unfolding  to  the 
girl  his  plans  about  Bermuda — if  arrangements 
always  made  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment  could 
be  dignified  by  the  name  of  plans. 

"  Did  Nana  send  you  down  here  to  talk  to 
me?"  asked  the  girl  suspiciously. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     199 

"  I  have  not  the  honor  to  be  envoy  extraordi- 
nary to  her  highness." 

"  No ;  but,  seriously,  did  she  ?  " 

"  She  did  not.  I  cannot  remember,  Belinda, 
that  I  ever  before  knew  you  to  display  so  literal 
a  mind." 

"  How  is  she?  "  the  girl  queried. 

"  As  usual  when  I  last  saw  her.  That  was 
several  days  ago." 

"  Has  she  talked  to  you  about  me  ?  " 

"  Freely  and  to  the  point.  She  puts  things 
a  bit  forcibly,  you  remember,  Belinda." 

The  girl,  with  many  speeches  of  her  grand- 
mother's rankling  in  her  heart,  was  not  likely  to 
forget  this  characteristic. 

"  I'm  going  home,"  she  said  abruptly. 

"  Come  now  with  me,"  half  rising. 

"  No,  not  now.  I  don't  want  you  to  take  me. 
I  want  to  go  by  myself." 

"  As  you  like,"  said  her  cousin.  "  I'm  not  sure 
you'll  be  admitted." 

"  Oh,"  piteously,  "  you  don't  think  she'd  refuse 
to  speak  to  me — to  let  me  in  ?  " 

"  No  mortal  knows  what  she  would  do,  Be- 
linda. You  know  that  as  well  as  I.  You  must 
take  your  chances.  But  if  there's  trouble — well, 
you  come  to  me." 


2oo     The  Way  of  Belinda 

She  longed  to  go  to  him  now  and  tell  her  secret, 
the  marvellous  thing  that  within  an  hour  in  that 
very  room  had  transformed  her  life;  but  desire 
jealously  to  guard  the  new  and  precious  thing 
withheld  her.  She  ventured  to  say,  grateful  for 
his  kindness,  "  You  wouldn't  force  me  to  marry 
Dan." 

"  I  should  not.  I'm  thankful  you've  broken 
with  him.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  he  was 
drunk." 

"When  was  that?" 

"  About  the  time  you  came  down  here.  Haven't 
seen  him  since,  and  don't  wish  to.  Your  grand- 
mother hasn't  alluded  but  once  to  that  part  of 
your  iniquity.  She  knows  my  sentiments  about 
Dan." 

"  How  thankful  I  am,"  cried  the  girl,  "  that 
you  understand  about  him !  The  only  word  I've 
had  from  Nana  except  the  note  forbidding  me  to 
return  was  a  line  saying  I  was  distinctly  to  under- 
stand that  my  engagement  could  not  be  broken. 
That  my  trousseau  was  ordered,  and  I  was  as 
much  bound  as  if  I  were  married.  I  think  she 
must  have  told  that  to  Dan,  too,  to  pacify  him, 
for  he's  stopped  coming  or  writing  any  more.  I 
am  not  bound,  am  I  ?  "  she  pleaded. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     201 

"  Rubbish !  Of  course  not.  I'll  stand  by  you. 
What  has  suddenly  determined  you  without 
permission  to  go  home?  " 

She  turned  crimson  under  his  gaze,  which 
caused  him  to  say  nonchalantly,  "  Consider  it 
answered.  I  detest  persons  who  ask  questions. 
Think  I'll  be  getting  uptown,  little  girl.  Just 
dropped  down  to  have  a  look  at  you." 

"  But  you  said  you  came  to  tell  me  I  was  going 
to  Bermuda  with  you,"  exclaimed  Belinda. 

"I  didn't  come  for  that,"  he  laughed;  "the 
idea  struck  me  after  I  got  here.  Will  you  come  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  at  least — I  don't  know,"  confusedly, 
the  mere  thought  of  leaving  Jerry  striking  terror 
to  her  heart. 

"  I  said  I  was  going  to  take  you,  and  end  by 
asking  you,  do  I  not,  little  girl  ?  Ah,  well,  that's 
the  way  you  women  manage  us !  Think  it  over, 
Belinda.  If  worse  comes  to  worse,  worse  might 
happen,  eh  ?  "  in  his  bantering  way. 

"  How  good  you  are !  "  eyes  shining. 

"  Keep  me  in  touch  with  your  movements. 
You  can  count  on  me,"  he  said,  rising.  "  And, 
my  dear,"  he  called,  blowing  her  a  kiss  from  the 
threshold,  "  if  she  and  Dan  are  too  much  for  you, 
say  the  word,  and  I'll  elope  with  you  myself." 


2O2      The  Way  of  Belinda 

Jerry  had  not  gone  half  a  dozen  blocks  from 
Miss  Lovering's  when  he  fell  in  with  Westcote, 
who,  deprived  of  sight  of  his  divinity,  haunted 
the  neighborhood  where  she  lived.  The  men, 
though  slightly  known  to  each  other,  were  dis- 
posed to  be  friendly,  the  Englishman  particularly, 
having  heard  much  of  the  reporter  through 
Esther.  But  in  his  present  mood  there  was  no 
one  whom  Blake  so  little  cared  to  see.  To  his 
questions  about  Miss  Levering,  Belinda,  and 
Janie  he  answered  in  monosyllables,  and  another 
time  would  have  been  quick  to  note  how  persis- 
tently those  questions  were  carried  on,  Westcote 
as  they  walked  along  returning  again  and  again 
to  the  subject  with  bulldog  pertinacity.  But 
Jerry  was  too  absorbed  in  his  own  affairs  to  take 
observations.  He  longed  to  shake  the  man  liter- 
ally and  metaphorically,  but  Westcote,  who  was 
feeling  desperately  blue  and  sorely  in  need  of 
companionship,  clung  to  the  man  who  was  a 
friend  of  hers.  On  the  verge  of  being  rude  to 
him,  Jerry,  who  had  the  kindest  heart  in  the 
world,  repented,  and  was  polite;  barely  more 
than  that,  however;  but  of  this  the  Englishman 
was  unaware,  and  serenely  revolved  in  circles 
about  the  household  in  Rivington  Street. 

Against  the  inclination  of  one,  together  they 


The  Way  of  Belinda     203 

went  uptown  and  dined.  Jerry  readily  acquiesced 
in  the  suggestion  that  they  walk  up,  but  regretted 
it  when  made  conscious  that  the  Bowery  and 
streets  through  which  they  passed  opened  up 
endless  possibilities  in  the  way  of  questions  to  the 
inquisitive  Englishman.  Lips  answering  mechani- 
cally, while  inwardly  longing  to  consign  him  to 
oblivion,  Jerry  had  about  determined  to  break 
away,  when  he  was  forced  to  admit  that  as  he 
had  accepted  the  man's  invitation,  it  would  be 
a  nasty  thing  to  do.  So,  like  a  lamb  led  to  the 
slaughter,  he  went  on;  and,  in  spite  of  being 
engrossed  by  love,  brought  with  him  a  keen  appe- 
tite to  the  restaurant  table. 

Accustomed  to  the  noise  and  clatter  of  the 
places  he  commonly  frequented,  the  fastidious 
Jerry  thawed  in  the  delightful  atmosphere  of  the 
fashionable  restaurant  where  he  now  found  him- 
self. They  were  early  arrivals,  and  the  head 
waiter,  recognizing  Westcote,  who  nodded  to  him 
as  they  entered,  came  at  once  to  their  table,  and 
hovered  solicitously  about,  homage  paid  by  these 
functionaries  to  a  chosen  few,  or  those  who  make 
it  worth  while.  Few  tables  were  occupied;  but 
such  waiters  as  were  busy  moved  noiselessly 
about,  alert  and  deft,  serving — the  more  experi- 
enced of  them — 'With  eyes  ever  watchful  to  antici.- 


204     The  Way  of  Belinda 

pate  the  slightest  wish  or  movement  on  the  part 
of  the  diners. 

Westcote,  after  some  study  of  the  menu,  was 
about  to  give  the  order  when  he  saw  Ronalds 
Castleton  enter  the  room,  cross  to  a  small  table, 
and  sit  down  alone. 

"Wonder  if  he'd  join  us?"  said  Westcote. 
"  Do  you  mind  if  I  ask  him  ?  " 

"  Delighted,"  replied  Jerry. 

In  a  few  moments  Westcote  returned  with 
Castleton,  who  beamed  upon  them  with  his  genial, 
quizzical  smile. 

"  I'm  in  great  luck,"  he  said,  tearing  up  a  tele- 
gram and  laying  it  on  the  table.  "  Man  went 
back  on  me,  and  see  what  springs  up  in  his 
place!" 

"  The  law  of  compensation,"  laughed  Jerry. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  it  ?  "  asked  Westcote  of 
Castleton  in  his  serious  way. 

"  Could  I  doubt  it,"  lightly  replied  the  older 
man,  "  with  such  evidence  at  hand?  " 

"  No;  but,  really,  I  mean — in  regard  to  serious 
things,"  urged  the  host. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  responded  Castleton  re- 
proachfully, "  nothing  could  be  more  serious  to 
me  than  my  dinner.  As  to  applying  it  to  other 
things,  ask  Blake  here;  he's  a  student  of  life." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     205 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  believe  in  it  thoroughly,"  replied 
the  man,  thus  adjured. 

"  Why  do  you  ?  "  persisted  Westcote,  who  had 
a  genius  for  questions. 

"  Many  reasons,"  replied  Blake,  to  whom 
this  hardly  seemed  the  place  for  serious  discus- 
sion. 

"  Probably  for  as  good  a  one  as  I  at  this 
moment,"  retorted  Castleton,  surveying  with 
satisfaction  the  oysters  being  put  before  him,  and 
led  the  talk  into  another  channel. 

But  Westcote  was  not  satisfied.  He  had  very 
good  reasons  of  his  own  for  desiring  to  be  con- 
vinced of  the  law  of  compensation.  He  tugged 
at  his  mustache  between  the  first  courses,  and 
took  no  part  in  the  conversation  of  the  other  men, 
which  touched  mainly  on  topics  of  the  day. 

"  Do  you  believe,"  he  presently  began,  so  very 
solemnly  that  Castleton  could  not  refrain  from 
raising  one  eyebrow  at  Blake,  "  do  you  believe 
that  women  ever  know  their  own  minds  ?  "  He 
looked  so  desperately  in  earnest  that  the  men 
stifled  their  inclination  to  laugh,  and  with  well- 
assumed  gravity  Castleton  replied: 

"  Ah,  there  you  have  us,  my  dear  Westcote ! 
It's  my  opinion  that  women  never  know  their 
own  minds." 


206     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  All  women,  you  mean?  "  more  earnestly  than 
ever,  "  or  yours  over  here  ?  " 

"  All  women.  They're  pretty  much  alike  the 
world  over." 

"  How  do  you  feel  about  it,  Blake?  " 

"  Far  be  it  from  me,"  replied  Jerry,  his  heart 
stirring,  "  to  give  an  opinion  on  the  sex." 

"  They're  an  unknown  quantity  to  him,"  said 
Castleton  to  Westcote  with  pretended  compas- 
sion. "  You'll  have  to  be  satisfied  with  my 
opinion." 

For  the  first  time  Westcote  smiled.  Whether 
this  smile,  which  dispelled  his  gloom,  was  merely 
punctilious,  or  was  the  outward  manifestation  of 
lightness  of  heart  produced  by  Castleton's  words, 
neither  of  his  guests  knew.  It  was  enough  that 
he  smiled,  and  the  rest  of  the  dinner  passed  off 
delightfully;  Castleton  brilliant,  Westcote  appre- 
ciative, while  Blake,  always  stimulated  by  the 
quick,  ready  wit  of  the  older  man,  got  himself 
well  in  hand  and  surpassed  them  all  in  clever 
anecdote  and  repartee,  causing  the  Englishman 
inwardly  to  speculate  in  his  solemn  way  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  reporter  had  not  a  strain  of 
Celtic  blood  in  him. 

And  while  one  of  them  listened,  and  two  of 
them  discussed  the  affairs  of  the  nation  in  their 


The  Way  of  Belinda     207 

jocular  way,  the  thoughts  of  all  three,  if  it  had 
been  permitted  one  to  look  deep  down  in  their 
hearts,  were  centred  in  a  little  frame  house  in 
Rivington  Street.  At  last  Jerry  got  away  and  to 
the  Park,  where,  late  into  the  night,  he  tramped 
about,  feet  beating  time  to  the  tune  in  his  heart, 
brain  whirling  with  the  events  of  the  afternoon. 

In  the  meantime,  to  her  Peggy  Belinda  was 
then  "  'fessing"  the  greatest  secret  of  her  life. 
The  older  woman,  without  interruption,  heard 
her  out  to  the  finish,  her  great,  generous  nature 
throbbing  in  sympathy  with  the  whole  gamut  of 
emotions  through  which  the  girl  passed  as  she 
sobbed,  laughed,  trembled,  and  in  exquisite  con- 
fusion as  she  talked  hid  her  face  against  the 
woman's  knee.  Esther  was  thinking  as  the  girl 
poured  out  her  happiness,  how  ever  since  that 
first  solemn  confession  of  Belinda's  in  the  den, 
when  the  girl  had  intimated  to  Esther  that 
"  morning,  noon,  and  night"  the  thought  of 
Blake  absorbed  her,  Esther  had  prepared  herself 
for  a  second  one,  which  must  be  the  inevitable 
outcome  of  the  first ;  a  natural  sequence  of  events 
for  which,  she  was  well  aware,  she  alone  would 
be  held  responsible. 

Belinda  on  that  first  night  had  laid  bare  her 
heart,  never  after  to  be  reminded  of  it  by  her 


208     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Peggy,  who,  studying  Blake  in  a  new  aspect, 
quietly  set  to  work  to  help  Belinda  to  her  heart's 
desire.  She  knew  she  was  taking  on  herself 
grave  responsibilities,  for  which  she  would  be 
taken  to  task,  but  she  did  not  shrink  from  what 
she  believed  the  circumstances  justified.  She 
knew  her  Belinda — every  fibre  of  the  girl's 
character,  as  did  no  other  person;  as  Madame 
Ronalds  never  dreamed  of  her,  as  none  of  them 
had  any  conception  save,  possibly,  Ronalds 
Castleton,  who  sometimes  seemed  to  Esther  to 
be  studying  the  girl  with  something  of  her  own 
watchfulness  out  of  the  corners  of  his  quizzical 
eyes.  And  she  knew  the  man  Blake;  knew  and 
thoroughly  trusted  him;  and  having  once  seen 
him  and  Belinda  together,  she  knew  this  greatest 
of  all  things,  that  she  could  no  more  have  sepa- 
rated the  threads  that  were  binding  them  together 
than  she  could  have  unravelled  the  strands  of 
a  steel  hawser. 

For  from  the  first  they  were  drawn  together 
by  the  irresistible,  intangible  force  of  magnetic 
attraction — a  force  at  once  so  strong  and  so 
elusive  that  it  spun  about  them  an  invisible  web, 
which  bound  them  heart  to  heart  as  long  as  they 
lived. 

It  was  the  consciousness  of  this  that  sustained 


The  Way  of  Belinda     209 

Esther  in  her  mode  of  procedure;  that  fortified 
her  to  prepare  to  do  battle  for  the  girl  so  dear 
to  her. 

"  Peggy/'  Belinda  was  crying,  "  he  loves  me, 
loves  me.  All  the  while  I've  been  thinking  about 
him  I've  been  loving  him  and  longing  for  him — 
all  the  while.  And  I  never  knew  it,  Peggy,  think 
of  that !  and  all  the  while  he's  been  loving  me ! " 
Her  voice  rang  out  jubilantly. 

"Did  he  speak  of  the  future,  dear?"  asked 
the  woman  gravely. 

"  No,"  tremulously  Belinda  answered ;  "  there 
wasn't  time,  Peggy,  dear.  We  had  just — just 
begun  talking  when  you  and  cousin  Ronalds 
came  in." 

"  Not  very  welcome  visitors,  I  fear,"  smiled 
the  woman ;  "  but  I'm  glad  Mr.  Castleton  came 
down  to  see  you.  He  may  prove  a  '  friend  in 
need.' " 

"Oh,  yes,  he  will,"  acquiesced  Belinda;  "I'm 
sure  of  it!  He  said  I  could  count  on  him;  and 
that  if  Nana  and  Dan  proved  too  much  for  me, 
he'd  run  away  with  me.  Wasn't  that  a  dear, 
funny  thing  for  him  to  say  ?  " 

Esther,  who  was  wondering  if  there  had  not 
been  far  more  seriousness  in  this  proposition  than 
was  commonly  attributed  to  the  speeches  of  the 


2 1  o     The  Way  of  Belinda 

man,  did  not  at  once  reply ;  and  Belinda,  looking 
wistfully  at  her,  said,  "  Don't  you  think  he  will 
stand  by  me  when — when  he  knows  ?  " 

"About  Mr.  Blake?  I  hope  so,  dear;  but  so 
much  depends,  I  should  think,  on  what  Mr.  Blake 
himself  has  to  say  as  to  the  future — his  ambitions 
and  his  prospects.  I'm  not  a  worldly  woman,  but 
I  am  a  practical  one;  and  there  is  much  to  be 
considered.  I  doubt,  dear,  if  as  yet,"  speaking 
very  gently,  "  you  realize  what  it  means." 

"  Those  were  just  his  last  words,  Peggy — '  Do 
you  realize  what  it  means  ?  ' — when  you  came  in ; 
and  then  I  sent  him  away,  because  I  knew  if  he 
stayed  cousin  Ronalds  would  suspect  something. 
He's  the  greatest  man  in  the  world  for  knowing 
all  about  everything,  and  I  didn't  want  him  to 
know  that — not  quite  yet,"  wistfully. 

"  I  understand,  dear." 

"  It  means  I — we — I,"  stammeringly,  "  shall 
be  poor,  I  suppose,"  she  hazarded. 

"  Poor  from  your  grandmother's  standpoint. 
Yes,  dear,  impossibly,  irretrievably,  unpermissi- 
bly  poor.  But  of  that  I  think  we  will  not  talk 
until  Mr.  Blake  has  had  an  opportunity  to  talk 
to  you.  To  throw  over  a  prospective  millionaire 
for  a  reporter  is  hardly  a  thing  you  can  expect 


The  Way  of  Belinda     211 

your  grandmother  to  countenance,  Belinda.  You 
realize  all  that  means,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  girl  firmly,  heart  quivering. 
"  I  think  if  you  and  Janie  can  spare  me,  I  will 
go  home." 

"  To-day?    I  strongly  approve  of  it." 

"  No ;  not  to-day.  I — I  want  to  see  Mr.  Blake 
again."  With  a  swift,  pleading  look,  "  You  don't 
mind,  Peggy  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  dear,  I  think  it  wise  and 
best  that  you  should." 

"  You  blessed,  blessed  Peggy,"  she  gratefully 
sighed,  kissing  her. 

"  Shall  I  go  with  you  when  you  go  home, 
Belinda  ?  "  asked  the  solicitous  woman.  "  Do  you 
want  me  to?  What  blame  there  is  rests  on  my 
shoulders." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  cried  the  girl ;  "  no  one  shall 
blame  you !  And  I  don't  want  you  to  come,  please, 
Peggy,  dear.  You  will  understand,"  pleadingly, 
won't  you?  I  want  to  go  all  alone.  I  left  that 
way,  and  I  want  to  return  that  way.  It's  my  own 
happiness  and  my  own  future,  and  I  must  face  it." 

" '  Your  very  own  self,'  as  you  used  to  say 
when  you  were  little,"  said  Esther,  finishing  her 
sentence. 


212      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Yes,"  faltered  the  girl,  picturing  the  scene 
with  her  grandmother  in  her  mind.  "  But, 
Peggy,"  eloquently,  "  I  shall  want  you."  She 
clasped  the  woman's  hands  tight  in  hers.  "  Am 
I  a  coward,  am  I  ?  Tell  me  I'm  not.  But  I  am. 
Oh,  Peggy!"  with  just  such  a  cry  as  she  had 
sobbed  out  the  terrors  of  her  childhood,  "  I'm 
afraid! " 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  Then  welcome  each  rebuff 
That  turns  earth's  smoothness  rough, 
Each  sting  that  bids  us  sit  nor  stand  but  go ; 
Be  our  joys  three  parts  pain 
Strive  and  hold  cheap  the  strain; 
Learn,  nor  account  the  pang ;  dare,  never  grudge 
the  throe." 

BROWNING. 

WHEN  Blake  realized  that  in  order  to  get 
even  a  glimpse  of  Belinda  on  the  following  day 
he  would  have  to  make  his  visit  between  his 
goings  to  and  from  the  newspaper  office,  he  felt 
inclined  to  revile  an  unfeeling  public  that,  in 
order  to  have  a  Monday  morning  edition  of  the 
Echo,  kept  him  working  on  Sunday. 

As  he  dressed  for  the  day  he  felt  a  sudden  envy 
of  those  men  who,  intending  to  make  an  after- 
noon call,  not  to  mention  going  to  see  The  Only 
Girl  in  the  World,  could  don  a  frock  coat,  wear  a 
top-hat,  carry  a  stick,  and  otherwise  array  them- 
selves according  to  the  mode.  Jerry,  poor  fel- 
low, could  do  none  of  these  things,  but  was 


2 14     The  Way  of  Belinda 

forced  to  content  himself  with  his  business 
clothes,  not  even  compromising  with  a  cutaway, 
which  he  might  have  worn  on  a  pinch,  and  likely 
would  had  he  not  known  that  he  would  be  guyed 
at  the  office.  After  all,  he  thought,  what  did  it 
matter  what  he  wore  so  long  as  he  carried  his 
clothes  well?  This  he  undeniably  did,  there  not 
being  in  Belinda's  own  exclusive  set  a  better 
groomed  man,  which  was  saying  a  good  deal  of 
one  whose  work  took  him  from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba  among  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 

In  spite  of  his  reasoning,  he  illogically  put  on 
three  ties  before  he  decided  on  one  good  enough 
— or  was  it  becoming  enough? — to  satisfy  him, 
and  even  then  would  have  jerked  this  off  for  fur- 
ther experiments  had  he  not  been  filled  with  the 
disquieting  sense  of  the  ridiculousness  of  attach- 
ing so  much  importance  to  minor  things. 

He  decided  at  last  to  stop  at  Rivington  Street 
on  his  way  to  the  office.  He  found  Miss  "  Lov- 
ing "  just  entering  the  house  when  he  reached  it, 
and  taking  him  in  with  her,  she  stopped  for  a 
moment's  chat  before  she  sent  Belinda  in  to  him. 

The  girl  entered  shyly,  but  with  a  wondrous 
welcome  in  her  eyes  shining  straight  into  his. 
Seeing  it,  the  man's  heart  leaped  to  his  throat 
and  he  took  her  in  his  arms.  No  word  of  greet- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     215 

ing  was  spoken  between  them.  No  word  was 
necessary. 

"  Dear,"  at  length  he  said  caressingly,  "  dear 
— dear,"  a  wealth  of  love  in  the  simple  word. 

She  put  her  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and,  push- 
ing him  away  a  little,  gazed  long  and  earnestly  in 
his  face.  "  Oh,"  she  cried  tremulously,  her  eyes 
filling,  "  how  strange  it  is.  I  " — but  unable  to 
finish,  she  hid  her  face  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Dear,"  he  said,  shaken  to  the  depths  of  him, 
but  struggling  for  quiet  mastery  of  himself,  "  will 
you  come  and  sit  down?  I  can  only  stay  a  short 
time,  and  there  are  so  many  things  I  must  say  to 
you." 

He  led  her  to  a  sofa,  where  he  sat  down  beside 
her,  and  taking  her  hands  fast  in  his,  said: 
"  Your  grandmother  will  never  consent,"  sum- 
ming up  the  situation  in  his  opening  sentence, 
as  was  characteristic  of  a  newspaper  man.  "  We 
must  make  her,"  he  added  contradictorily. 

"  Yes,"  said  Belinda,  "  we  must." 

"  Dear  one,"  he  continued,  "  may  I  talk  to 
you  plainly?  Have  you  the  courage  to  hear  the 
bald  facts?  Do  you  realize  them?  " 

"  I  want  to  realize  them,"  she  said  in  a  stead- 
fast, sweet  voice  that  was  music  to  his  ears. 

"  You  precious  little  thing,"  he  murmured. 


2  1 6     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Then  he  told  her  of  his  life,  his  work,  his  hopes 
of  the  future,  a  future  which  until  she  had  entered 
into  it  had  given  him  little  thought.  In  rapid 
sentences  he  reviewed  to  her  eager  ears  his  life, 
going  back  to  those  early  days  when,  living  in 
Peytonville  with  his  widowed  mother,  he  had 
first  felt  the  pinch  of  poverty,  hidden  from  the 
village  because  of  family  pride.  Told  her  how  in 
his  boyish  heart  he  had  resented  the  unceasing 
talk  about  Peyton  blood,  which  never  seemed  to 
do  anything  for  him  except  keep  him  in  constant 
warfare  with  his  playmates,  who  jeered  at  his 
good  manners,  his  carefully  patched  clothes,  and 
empty  pockets.  How  he  and  his  little  brother, 
six  years  his  junior,  equally  sensitive  but  less  of  a 
fighter  than  he,  grew  up  in  close  companionship, 
banded  together  by  common  hatred  of  the 
enemy.  How  the  aristocratic  atmosphere,  so 
exclusive,  so  painfully  poverty  stricken,  choked 
him,  causing  him  to  love  with  fervency  all  things 
democratic. 

How,  at  sixteen,  in  spite  of  his  mother's  pro- 
tests, he  had  at  last  gone  to  work,  earning  his 
first  stipend  as  the  doctor's  office  boy.  Well  he 
remembered,  he  told  her,  how,  in  spite  of  his  de- 
sire to  be  democratic,  his  pride  rebelled  against 
sweeping  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  house.  It 


The  Way  of  Belinda     217 

wasn't  the  doctor,  but  the  doctor's  wife,  who  ex- 
acted this  of  him,  and  for  quite  five  minutes  he 
had  stood  sullenly  defiant  before  he  took  the 
broom  and  did  as  he  was  bid.  It  was  amusing 
now  to  look  back  upon,  but  at  the  time  he  had 
waged  an  awful  inward  conflict,  and  even  when 
submissive  had  longed  to  hit  the  offending  lady 
on  the  head  with  the  broom.  From  the  doctor's 
he  went  into  a  printing-office  and  learned  to  set 
type.  He  hated  it,  but  preferred  it  to  the  doc- 
tor's wife,  who  always  seemed  to  be  watching 
him  lest  he  have  a  happy,  idle  moment.  And  all 
the  while  he  was  working  at  tasks  "  beneath  a 
gentleman,"  as  his  mother  bewailed,  he  was 
dreaming  about  college  and  how  without  money 
other  than  the  small  amount  he  earned  he  was  to 
get  there. 

In  his  leisure  moments  browsing  at  will  in  the 
library  of  the  judge,  his  grandfather,  whom  he 
barely  remembered,  one  day  the  impressionable 
boy,  fast  growing  into  manhood,  fell  in  with  the 
essays  of  Emerson,  which,  reading,  he  read  again 
and  again,  saturating  himself  with  the  Concord 
philosopher,  who  exerted  a  strong  influence  on 
his  life.  The  great  truths  compressed  between 
the  pages  of  one  volume  opened  up  a  new  world 
to  him,  and  he  determined  to  go  out  and  find 


2 1 8      The  Way  of  Belinda 

that  world,  where  there  was  room  to  breathe; 
where  there  were  people  not  cramped  by  the  nar- 
row conventions  like  those  he  knew,  but  high- 
thinking,  high-living  people;  where  "  The  only 
reward  of  virtue  is  virtue;  the  only  way  to  have  a 
friend  is  to  be  one."  Going  down  the  pages  of 
the  wonderful  essay  on  Self-Reliance  one  night, 
he  came  to  that  place  where  the  philosopher  as- 
serts that  the  sturdy  country  lad  who  takes  a 
turn  at  everything  that  comes  to  hand,  and  al- 
ways, like  a  cat,  falls  on  his  feet,  is  walking 
abreast  with  his  days  and  need  feel  no  shame  in 
not  "  studying  a  profession,"  for  he  does  not 
postpone  his  life,  but  lives  it  already. 

Over  this,  so  fraught  to  him  with  meaning,  he 
pondered,  fitting  it  to  the  restless  longing  now 
possessing  him  to  get  into  the  world  and  test  his 
strength.  Because  of  the  new  thought  and  the 
zest  it  gave  him,  he  abandoned  all  idea  of  college 
and  ran  away  from  home  to  the  nearest  city,  fifty 
miles  distant,  where  he  worked  at  type-setting, 
which  was  the  only  trade  he  knew.  This  work 
was  on  the  printing-presses  of  a  newspaper. 
There  he  was  soon  employed  in  carrying  copy  to 
the  presses  from  the  editorial  rooms,  where  he 
picked  up  all  sorts  of  information.  It  had  the 
effect  of  developing  him  rapidly  and  also  inciting 


The  Way  of  Belinda     219 

him  to  try  his  hand  at  writing,  in  imitation  of  his 
betters.  In  a  year  he  was  on  the  staff  of  the 
paper,  and  three  years  later  he  came  down  to  join 
the  staff  of  the  Echo,  where  ever  since  he  had 
been. 

With  closest  attention  Belinda  had  followed 
this  narrative,  and  now  urged  him  to  go  on. 

"  Dear,"  he  said  irrelevantly,  "  will  you  marry 
me?" 

The  question  so  startled  her  that  she  blushed 
furiously;  and  he  said  again: 

"  Will  you?  It  would  be  so  sweet  to  hear  you 
say  you  would,  and  then  when  I  finish,  if  you 
like,  you  shall  unsay  it  all  again." 

Her  reply  was  not  audible,  but  it  seemed  to 
satisfy  him,  for  presently,  taking  up  his  story,  he 
continued :  "  My  people  are  dead,  dear,  all  but 
my  brother  Peyton.  When  my  mother  died  we 
inherited  the  place,  which  was  about  all  there 
was.  She  had  struggled  all  her  life  to  keep  it  free 
from  mortgage,  and  we  sold  it  as  soon  as  we 
could.  It  brought  more  than  we  dared  hope  for. 
It  happened  that  a  New  York  man  had  long 
coveted  the  property  for  a  summer  home.  I  in- 
vested the  money,  and  the  income  is  putting  Pey- 
ton through  college.  I  was  determined  he 
should  go.  He  is  different  from  me — organi- 


22O     The  Way  of  Belinda 

cally  delicate,  more  sensitive,  never  could  buffet 
the  world,  but  he's  hard  working,  industrious, 
has  good  stuff  in  him,  though  he'll  be  very  slow 
to  develop.  Some  people  are  like  that,  dear,  you 
know." 

"  Are  they?  "  asked  the  girl,  gazing  with  lov- 
ing pride  at  him.  "  Didn't  you  use  any  of  the 
money  yourself?  " 

"I?  Oh,  no.  I  didn't  need  it.  I  was  all  right. 
I  had  a  steady  job,  a  place  to  sleep  and  plenty  to 
eat.  I  didn't  ask  any  more — then.  But  now," 
with  a  quick  indrawing  of  breath,  "  now  it's  dif- 
ferent, so  different,  and  yet  not;  for  I  want  so 
much,  yet  am  no  richer,  and  Peyton  will  not  be 
through  for  another  two  years." 

"  No  richer?  "  from  the  girl  in  well-feigned  re- 
proach. 

"  Richer  than  all  others,  you  little  tease,"  his 
eyes  devouring  her.  "  If  you  give  yourself  to 
me,"  he  continued  earnestly,  "  it  means,  dear,  a 
year  and  perhaps  more  of  waiting." 

"  I  would  wait  a  lifetime,"  she  said. 

"  Ah,  sweetheart,  how  good  that  is  to  hear !  It 
means,  too,  dear,"  striving  to  keep  to  the  sub- 
ject, "  that  you  would  have  to  leave  your  world 
and  come  into  mine.  This  I  shall  never  ask  you 
to  do  until  I  can  provide  for  you  suitably.  I've 


The  Way  of  Belinda     221 

seen  too  much  of  poverty  to  cherish  any  illusions 
about  it.  By  suitably  I  mean,  dear,  all  the  com- 
forts which  might  seem  to  you  pretty  poor  sub- 
stitutes for  the  luxuries  to  which  you  are  accus- 
tomed, and  which  I'm  desperately  afraid  are  as 
necessary  to  you  as  the  air  you  breathe." 

"  Oh,  no,  they're  not,"  she  hastened  to  assure 
him;  "  you've  no  idea  how  much  I  know  about 
economy.  I  haven't  been  accustomed  to  all  the 
luxuries  like  the  other  girls  I  know.  I  never  had 
them.  Nana  isn't  rich,  though  we  live  as  if  we 
were.  I  don't  know  how — we  just  live,  that's  all 
there  is  to  it.  I  wear  extravagant  clothes,  I 
know,"  looking  down  at  her  dainty  crepe  gown 
apologetically,  "  but  they're  always  charged. 
Perhaps  it  takes  all  Nana  has  to  pay  the  bills. 
Anyway,  I  never  spend  any  money — never  have 
any  to  spend,  hardly  car  fares.  I'm  supposed  al- 
ways to  ride  in  cabs,  you  know,  and  they're 
charged,  too." 

He  smiled,  rilled  with  joy  at  this  unexpected 
information,  so  naively  told.  "  If  you'll  promise 
not  to  take  cabs,"  he  said,  "  I'll  agree  to  keep  you 
in  car  fares." 

"  What  condescension !"  smiling  back  at  him. 
"  I  supposed  you'd  offer  to  buy  me  a  cab." 

"  If  it's  a  question  of  cabs,  Belinda  Leigh,  all  is 


222      The  Way  of  Belinda 

over  between  us!"  And  then  seriously  he  said, 
"  When  may  I  go  to  see  your  grandmother, 
dear?  " 

"  Not  until  I  have  seen  her  first,"  she 
answered.  "  Of  course,  you  don't  know,  but  she 
was  so  annoyed  at  my  coming  that  she's  forbid- 
den my  return  until  she  gives  permission,  and  re- 
fuses to  recognize  that  my  engagement  to  Dan 
Denbeigh  is  broken." 

"  Belinda !    This  is  far  worse  than  I  imagined." 

"  It's  pretty  bad,"  she  admitted;  "  but  when  a 
thing  can't  get  worse  it  has  to  get  better.  I 
shall  go  back  to-morrow." 

"  But,  Belinda,  sweetheart,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I 
cannot  let  you  take  the  brunt  of  things.  I  should 
take  it,  or  at  least  be  there  too.  You  must  let  me 
go  with  you." 

"  No,  dear,  no,"  she  protested;  "you  mustn't 
come.  Don't  you  see  she  doesn't  know  you,  has 
only  met  you  that  night  at  the  studio,  and  she 
would  resent  your  coming — a  stranger;  regard  it 
as  an  impertinence.  I  know  Nana !  Leave  it  to 
me,  dear,"  she  pleaded,  "  trust  me.  I  will  go, 
and  you  mustn't  come  until  I  send  you  word," 
she  ended  in  a  tone  that  carried  conviction. 

"  What  a  wise  little  woman  you  are !"  he  said 
tenderly.  "  I  believe  you're  right.  Diplomacy 


The  Way  of  Belinda     223 

sometimes  wins  where  more  direct  methods  fail 
utterly.  But  it  is  you — you — you  of  whom  I'm 
thinking.  To  think  it  must  all  fall  on  you !  Are 
you  sure  I'm  worth  it,  sweetheart?  "  reading  her 
assurance  in  her  eyes.  "  And  what  if  you  send 
me  no  word?  if  she  forbids  you  to?  " 

"  I  should  do  it  just  the  same,"  said  the  girl  un- 
falteringly, "  and  I  should  tell  her  so,  but  I 
should  not  ask  you  to  come  without  per  permis- 
sion." 

"  My  precious  little  girl,"  he  said  to  this  girl, 
nearly  as  tall  as  he;  "  was  ever  any  one  so  cour- 
ageous ?  " 

"  Some  run  away,"  she  reminded  him,  her 
thoughts  racing  on,  "  but  I  never  want  to  have 
to  do  that." 

"  Nor  I  to  ask  you,  though  I  might,"  he  ad- 
mitted honestly.  "  One  never  knows  what  one 
might  do  under  stress  of  circumstances." 

"  Cousin  Ronalds  has  offered  to  do  that  al- 
ready," she  said  lightly,  glad  to  relieve  the  ten- 
sion. 

"  The  dickens  he  has !  How  dared  he !"  from 
her  future  lord  and  master. 

"  Oh,  he  wasn't  really  in  earnest ;  he  never  is, 
you  know,"  smiling  ravishingly,  "  though  I  don't 
see,"  with  a  pretty  pout  and  a  display  of  dimples 


224     The  Way  of  Belinda 

that  made  him  long  to  kiss  her  that  very  min- 
ute, "  I  don't  see  why  you  have  any  right  to  ob- 
ject." Then,  before  he  could  put  his  longing 
into  execution,  she  said,  "  How  did  you  happen 
to  know  him?  You  seem  to  be  very  good 
friends." 

He  told  her  all  about  it,  and  how  he  had  been 
at  dinner  with  him  the  night  before. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  to  him  and  talk  over  our 
affairs  with  him,  dear.  May  I?  It  seems  to  me 
proper  and  desirable  that  I  should.  He  has  al- 
ways seemed  to  like  me,  and  he  may  understand 
how  I  cannot  help  loving  you — wouldn't  if  I 
could." 

"  I  believe  he'll  take  our  part,"  enthusiastically 
cried  the  girl.  "  He  hates  Dan,  and  never  wanted 
me  to  be  engaged  to  him,  and  he  likes  you  and 
will  understand — he  always  understands.  Oh,  do 
go — to-morrow,  dear,  when  I  go  home,  and  I'll 
write  him  a  note — do  you  mind  taking  it  with 
you,  so  he  will  hear  the  news  from  both  of  us  at 
once? — telling  him  I'm  the  happiest  girl  in  the 
world." 

"  Belinda,  you  darling !"  and  then  with  sudden 
and  wretched  consciousness  that  he  had  long 
outstayed  his  time,  "  I  must  be  going,  dear." 

"  I  suppose  so,"  reluctantly. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     225 

"  And  do  you  know,  Belinda,  that  all  the  while 
I've  been  here  you've  never  once  spoken  my 
name?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  it  the  first  time  I  saw  you  or 
the  second,"  evasively. 

"  But  you  do  now,  do  you  not,  sweetheart?  " 

Both  had  risen,  and  taking  her  in  his  arms,  he 
tipped  back  her  face  and  looked  deep  in  her 
heart.  "  Isn't  it  there?  "  he  asked  softly  as  she 
did  not  speak. 

"  What?  "  she  murmured,  a  pink  flush  betray- 
ing her. 

"  My  name,  dear  one.  Isn't  it  somewhere 
there  in  your  heart?  " 

"  Way  down  deep." 

"  Could  you  find  it,  do  you  think,  for  me?  " 

"  You  might  take  it  away  from  me,  I'm 
afraid,"  she  pretended. 

"  That  I'd  steal  what  is  yours?  Oh,  Belinda !" 
And  then  putting  his  face  down  to  hers  said 
penitently,  "  I  didn't  mean  to  tease  you  to  say 
what  you  don't  want  to,  sweetheart." 

"  Jerry,"  she  cried,  "Jerry!" 

And  for  many  days  and  weeks  after  that 
tremulous  "  Jerry  "  sang  in  his  ears. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

"  She  had  gone  through  her  crisis  in  the  antici- 
pation of  it.  That  is  how  quick  natures  ...  are 
prepared  for  astonishing  leaps  over  the  gradations 
which  should  render  their  conduct  comprehen- 
sible to  us,  if  not  excusable." 

MEREDITH. 

THERE  are  persons  who  never  meet  the  crises 
of  life  with  philosophy,  and  Madame  Ronalds 
was  one. 

In  spite  of  her  years,  her  experience  was  not 
so  vast  nor  so  deep  as  she  imagined,  and  out  of  it 
she  had  learned  little.  She  thought  she  had  had 
more  than  her  share  of  sorrow  and  perplexity, 
but  it  was  perplexity  tempered  by  moderation; 
sorrow  alleviated  by  compensating  conditions, 
which,  like  sentinels,  always  stood  guard  about 
her.  Of  the  tremendous  and  awful  depths  of 
human  emotion  she  had  no  conception,  except  as 
she  found  it  in  novels  and  on  the  stage,  where 
she  resented  it  as  most  exaggerated,  vulgar,  and 
bad  form. 

Carefully  reared  in  a  conventional  atmosphere, 


The  Way  of  Belinda     227 

and  married  young  to  a  man  whom  she  had 
always  known,  was  undeniably  to  make  a  pleasant 
beginning  in  life.  Her  first  grief  came  with  the 
death  of  her  boy  and  elder  child,  at  ten  years  of 
age — a  bereavement  against  which  she  so  violently 
rebelled  that  her  mourning,  though  genuine  in  its 
way,  seemed  not  to  be  grief  so  much  as  a  wail 
against  the  workings  of  Providence.  Her  first 
crisis  came  through  her  daughter  Ethel,  who, 
against  rhyme  and  reason,  protests  and  pleading, 
insisted  on  marrying  Donald  Leigh,  the  man  of 
her  heart.  This  left  the  mother  vanquished  and 
bitter,  hardening  the  crust  already  formed  by 
hide-bound  conventions.  The  death  of  Donald 
Leigh,  so  quickly  followed  by  that  of  Ethel,  who, 
bereft  of  him,  seemed  mortally  stricken,  and  died 
in  giving  birth  to  Belinda,  appeared  to  Ethel's 
mother  but  the  retribution  that  overtakes  the 
wilful.  If  Ethel  had  listened  to  reason,  she 
thought,  she  would  still  have  been  living  happily 
with  her  instead  of  having  become  the  central 
figure  in  a  series  of  tragic  events.  When  she 
took  the  little  Belinda  to  her  home  it  was  not  to 
take  her  to  her  heart,  for  the  baby  was  a  constant 
reminder  of  things  she  desired  to  forget.  Later, 
sorrow  over  the  loss  of  Mr.  Ronalds  was,  to  his 
wife,  merged  in  the  necessity  of  confronting  finan- 


228     The  Way  of  Belinda 

cial  conditions  so  perplexing  and  vexatious  that 
they  engrossed  and  ever  after  held  her  fast  in 
a  sordid  clutch.  And  except  as  it  affected  her 
mode  of  living  she  did  not  truly  mourn  her  hus- 
band, for  he  had  grown  morose  and  irritable  with 
years  and  unpleasantly  refractory  toward  a  wife 
who  attempted  to  dominate  him ;  all  of  which  did 
not  tend  to  broaden  her  nature  or  give  her  much 
comprehension  of  the  turning-point  in  the  life  of 
Belinda,  which  she  down  in  Rivington  Street 
was  already  inwardly  confronting. 

One  exasperatingly  unpleasant  talk  during 
Belinda's  absence  Madame  Ronalds  had  with 
Mrs.  Denbeigh.  The  sole  subject  was  the  girl's 
attitude  toward  Dan,  which  the  doting  mother 
said  was  outrageous  and  not  to  be  tolerated. 
She  whipped  herself  into  such  a  fury  that  for 
once  in  her  life  she  forgot  her  awe  of  Madame 
Ronalds,  and  dealt  out  the  smothered  irritation 
of  years  in  such  bristling  invectives  that  the  other 
woman  turned  on  her,  and  dropping  all  veneer, 
said  it  was  astonishing  to  her  how  she  ever  could 
have  considered  for  her  granddaughter  an  alli- 
ance with  a  family  so  hopelessly  plebeian.  Mrs. 
Denbeigh  went  off  in  high  dudgeon,  leaving 
behind  a  ruffled  but  complacent  adversary,  who, 
however,  immediately  regretting  her  indiscre- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     229 

tion,  dispatched  a  soothing  note  to  Dan,  in 
which  she  told  him  to  be  patient;  that  Belinda's 
freakishness  would  pass;  that  it  was  only  a  girl's 
vagaries. 

And  Madame  Ronalds,  for  days  infuriated  by 
these  vagaries,  which  had  emboldened  Belinda  to 
depart  without  permission  and  further  cross  her 
will,  was  concluding  that  to  hold  Dan  she  must 
certainly  allow  the  girl  to  return  where  the  boy 
could  see  her,  when  early  one  morning,  without 
warning,  Belinda  walked  in. 

As  she  entered,  Madame  Ronalds,  who  was 
reading,  looked  up,  shot  one  piercing  glance  at 
her,  and  continued  to  go  on  with  her  book. 

"  Nana,"  said  the  girl,  approaching,  "  I  have 
come." 

"  You  were  not  asked,"  escaped  the  woman, 
who  had  not  intended  to  speak. 

"  I  didn't  ask,  for  fear  you  wouldn't  want  me." 

"  A  proper  inference,"  in  her  most  precise  tone. 

"  But  I'm  here,  Nana.  I've  come  to  stay,"  the 
sound  of  her  words  giving  her  confidence. 

"  You  may  stay,"  responded  the  woman,  look- 
ing fixedly  at  her,  "  on  one  condition.  That  you 
listen  to  reason  in  regard  to  Dan." 

Prepared  and  fortified  as  she  was,  the  girl 
trembled  from  head  to  foot;  but  with  head  erect 


230     The  Way  of  Belinda 

said  steadily :  "  I  cannot,  Nana.  I  love  some  one 
else." 

Madame  Ronalds  raised  her  eyebrows  incredu- 
lously, and  with  sarcastic  inflection  said :  "  And, 
pray,  who  may  this  some  one  else  be  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Blake,"  bravely,  strengthened  by  the  joy 
of  speaking  his  name. 

"  And,  pray,"  with  unpleasant  emphasis,  "  who 
is  he?  " 

"  You  met  him  at  cousin  Castleton's  studio," 
she  said  hurriedly.  "  You  presented  him  to  me." 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  believe  I  recollect !  A  young  prig, 
who  boasted  of  his  family  connections." 

"  You  liked  him,"  the  girl  couldn't  help  re- 
minding her,  "  and  asked  him  to  call." 

"  Which  he  never  had  the  civility  to  do.  Or 
is  it  possible  he  did  come,  but  only  presented 
himself  at  times  when,  informed  by  you,  he  knew 
I  was  to  be  absent  ?  "  still  coolly  sarcastic. 

The  girl  gasped,  bereft  of  speech. 

"  The  depths  of  your  duplicity  it  is  evident  I 
have  not  yet  sounded.  I — " 

"  It  is  not  true,"  broke  from  Belinda  in  a  tense 
voice,  the  lines  about  her  mouth  drawn.  "  I  have 
never  deceived  you  in  my  life.  Mr.  Blake  has 
not  been  here.  I  have  been  seeing  him  at  Miss 
Lovering's.  I — " 


The  Way  of  Belinda     231 

"  So  that  has  been  the  scene  of  your  romance," 
derisively.  "  Why  leave  the  slums,  since  you  find 
the  environment  so  congenial,  where,  no  doubt, 
you  can  see  your  new  lover  every  day  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  unflinchingly,  "  I  could,"  in  a  tone  so 
like  her  father's  that  Madame  Ronalds  winced. 
"  But  I  shall  stay  here,  Nana.  This  is  my  rightful 
place,  my  home.  I've  done  nothing  to  forfeit  it." 

Her  cool,  inflexible  demeanor  under  rapid  fire 
amazed  her  grandmother,  not  knowing  how  the 
girl  had  schooled  and  drilled  herself  for  this 
dreaded  scene. 

"  It  is  imperative,"  bluntly  declared  the  woman, 
"  that  you  marry  Dan  Denbeigh.  For  years  I 
have  withheld  from  you  the  fact  that  we  were 
living  on  credit.  I  ran  more  deeply  in  debt  that 
you  might  make  a  proper  debut,  and  have  kept 
you  going  on  nothing  ever  since.  I  cannot  hold 
out  six  months  longer.  All  the  trades-people 
were  pacified  by  the  announcement  of  your  en- 
gagement to  a  prospective  millionaire.  Throw 
Dan  over,  and  they'll  be  down  upon  us  like  a  pack 
of  wolves.  The  ignominy  would  kill  me !  " 

Humiliated  by  this  confession  to  the  very  depth 
of  her  being,  the  girl  felt  like  some  wretched  slave 
bartered  in  the  market-place. 

"  I  cannot,"  she  said,  "  I  cannot.    Why,  Nana, 


232      The  Way  of  Belinda 

you  want  to  sacrifice  me!  There  must  be  some 
other  way."  And  then  with  sudden  inspiration, 
"  Cousin  Ronalds  would  help." 

"You  talk  nonsense.  What  does  a  child 
like  you  know  of  these  things?  Do  you  want 
to  face  poverty?  change  your  whole  mode  of 
life?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  girl,  "  I  do.  I  want  to  marry 
Mr.  Blake." 

"  What ! "  cried  the  woman,  who  up  to  this 
time  had  not  regarded  seriously  anything  Belinda 
had  said  about  the  man,  "  you  want  to  marry 
him?  A  man  about  whom  I  know  nothing,  and 
whom  you've  known  two  weeks  ?  " 

"  It  is  just  as  if  I  had  known  him  all  my  life," 
responded  Belinda,  eyes  glowing,  but  face  set. 
"  I've  loved  him  all  winter  long.  He  is  the  man 
who  was  so  kind  to  me  down  in  Rivington  Street 
that  day  the  boys  behaved  so  badly,  and — " 

"  Who  published  the  adventure  for  the  benefit 
of  the  town?  That  man,  a  common  reporter, 
a  person  not  fit  to  associate  with  the  servants? 
You  must  be  losing  your  mind,"  she  gasped,  with 
flashing  eyes. 

"Yes,  he  is  a  reporter,"  Belinda  said  slowly; 
"  but  he  didn't  do  that.  It  was  all  a  mistake. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     233 

And  he  is  a  gentleman,"  drawing  herself  up 
proudly  in  his  defence — "  far  more  of  a  gentle- 
man than  many  of  the  men  in  my  set.  And  I'm 
not  afraid  to  trust  myself  to  him." 

It  was  Ethel  all  over  again  facing  the  woman. 

"  He  is  poor,"  went  on  the  dual  voice  in 
Madame  Ronalds's  ears ;  "  you  would  call  him 
so,  but  he  isn't  poor  as  you  tell  me  I  am,  and  I 
should  feel  rich  to  share  his  life." 

"  Spare  me  sentimental  utterances.  I  should 
no  more  consider  allowing  a  granddaughter  of 
mine  to  marry  a  newspaper  reporter  than  I  should 
think  of  giving  her  to  the  butler.  He's  a  low, 
scheming  adventurer,  who  thinks  he  has  cleverly 
hoodwinked  a  rich  girl.  He  began  by  hoodwink- 
ing me.  I  don't  believe  he  is  any  more  related 
to  the  Peytons  of  Peytonville  than  you  are," 
nevertheless  knowing  that  the  judge's  youngest 
daughter  had  married  an  impecunious  young 
fellow  named  Jerry  Blake. 

"  Ask  cousin  Ronalds,  he  knows !  "  replied 
the  tortured  girl,  betraying  no  emotion.  "  Miss 
Levering  knows,  too." 

"  So  this  is  of  her  making !  Never  mention 
that  person's  name  to  me  as  long  as  you  live ! " 
cried  the  woman,  livid  with  rage.  "  It  was  an 


234     The  Way  of  Belinda 

unfortunate  day  when  she  crossed  my  threshold. 
She  is  perfectly  demoralized;  and  not  satisfied 
with  that,  sets  about  to  demoralize  you.  You're 
hypnotized! — completely  hypnotized!  She  has 
only  to  say  '  Come,'  and  you  go  like  one  bereft 
of  will.  She  has  turned  you  from  a  sensible  girl 
into  a  crazy  edition  of  herself;  filled  you  with 
sentimental  twaddle,  surrounded  you  with  low 
associates,  upheld  you  in  defying  me.  Go  back 
to  her — go  back !  You  are  no  granddaughter  of 
mine!" 

Having  thus  relieved  her  mind,  reconciliation 
was  a  step  nearer,  though  this  neither  of  them 
knew. 

The  girl  cast  piteous  eyes  about,  but  stood 
motionless  with  hands  tight  clasped.  One  falter- 
ing step,  one  burst  of  passion  and  everything 
would  be  lost.  "  Steady,  steady,"  whispered  her 
heart,  strengthening  her  to  do  battle. 

Ignoring  her  grandmother's  command,  she 
said,  summoning  her  forces,  "  May  Mr.  Blake 
come  to  see  you,  Nana  ?  " 

"  Never." 

"  May  I  see  him  if  I  stay?  " 

"  Never." 

"  I  am  going  to  stay,  though,  Nana ;  you  shall 
not  force  me  out.  You  have  no  right,"  following 


The  Way  of  Belinda     235 

out  the  path  on  which  she  had  determined  before 
she  came. 

"  Sit  down,"  commanded  the  woman ;  "  your 
attitude  is  irritating." 

Belinda  did  as  she  was  bid,  feeling  she  had 
gained  a  concession.  The  resolution  in  her  eyes, 
the  drawn  mouth,  the  fixed  purpose  in  her  young 
face  began  to  make  some  impression  on  the 
woman,  not  gifted  to  discriminate. 

"  Was  the  child  very  ill  ?  "  she  asked. 

So  seemingly  irrelevant  a  question  startled  the 
girl. 

"  Very,"  she  replied,  her  voice  for  the  first  time 
trembling. 

"  I  trust  you're  not  coming  down  with  some 
contagious  disease." 

"  I  ?  Oh,  no,"  regaining  her  composure.  "  It 
was  pneumonia.  She  is  fast  getting  well.  May 
I  go  to  my  room,  Nana?  " 

"  As  you  like,"  indifferently.  As  the  girl  rose 
she  said,  fixing  her  with  penetrating  eyes :  "  Since 
you  are  so  determined,  you  may  stay,  Belinda; 
but  you  must  accept  my  conditions.  This  discus- 
sion we  will  not  renew  until  your  mind  is  more 
normal,  but  I  absolutely  forbid  you  to  hold  an)' 
communication  whatever  with  that  newspaper 
person.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 


236     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Yes,  Nana,"  determined  not  to  be  crushed 
into  despair. 

"  You  will  give  me  your  promise  ?  " 

"Yes,"  thinking  it  best  to  obey,  in  spite  of 
what  she  had  said  to  Jerry. 

"  That  is  my  command,  and  I  expect  absolute 
obedience.  If  you  deceive  me  again — " 

The  threat  was  not  uttered,  for  the  girl 
said :  "  I  have  never  intentionally  deceived  you 
nor  disobeyed  you  except  that  once,  when  I 
thought,  under  the  circumstances,  you  would 
have  consented  to  my  going  down  to  Miss 
Lovering's,  and  so  went  without  your  permis- 
sion." 

"  That  is  past.  I  have  your  promise  now  to 
do  nothing  clandestine  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  firmly,  with  steadfast  eyes ;  "  I  will  do 
nothing  that  I  do  not  tell  you  first" 

Slowly  she  went  to  her  room,  heart  protesting, 
mind  holding  her  to  the  conviction  that  having 
gained  so  much,  she  must  be  content  to  wait. 
She  was  in  her  home,  and  permitted  to  remain. 
Lingeringly  her  eyes  traversed  the  little  room 
where  she  had  slept  ever  since  she  could  remem- 
ber. All  the  dear  old  familiar  objects  reminded 
her  of  a  thousand  things  now  seeming  to  belong 
to  a  remote  period  which  she  had  dreamed,  but 


The  Way  of  Belinda     237 

never  lived.  Life  had  begun  for  her  in  Rivington 
Street. 

It  was  her  girlhood  beckoning  in  the  little 
room;  but  her  eyes,  swimming,  turned  wistfully 
to  the  window.  Voices  within,  exquisitely 
strange  and  sweet,  were  carolling  her  woman- 
hood. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"  Love  is  a  faith,  and  one  faith  leads  to  an- 
other." 

AMIEL. 

BLAKE,  on  the  day  following  his  talk  with  Be- 
linda, presented  himself  at  Castleton's  studio 
with  the  conviction  that  what  he  was  about  to 
say  would  be  listened  to  with  consideration. 
Castleton  was  his  friend;  but  whether  his  friend- 
ship would  stretch  to  contemplation  of  taking 
him  into  the  family,  Blake  wondered.  Even  to 
him  the  idea  was  so  astonishing  that  he  scarcely 
knew  how  to  adjust  himself  to  it.  Of  Belinda 
during  the  past  months  all  his  thoughts,  though 
so  engrossing,  had  been  visionary,  taking  no 
definite  form  because  of  the  ever-present  realiza- 
tion that  she  was  something  altogether  apart 
from  his  life.  And  of  a  sudden  she  was  life  itself. 

He  shook  hands  with  Castleton,  his  mind  fully 
made  up  as  to  exactly  what  he  should  say  when 
they  had  exchanged  the  usual  courtesies.  But 
before  he  began,  as  he  promised  Belinda,  he  gave 
her  cousin  her  note. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     239 

Castleton  read  it  through  and  stared  at  him. 
"  The  little  minx !"  he  exclaimed. 

With  simple  directness  Jerry  told  him  the  his- 
tory of  the  affair  from  the  beginning,  Castleton 
pulling  away  at  a  pipe,  listening  without  inter- 
ruption. 

"  There'll  be  the  dickens  to  pay  with  her 
grandmother,"  was  his  first  comment.  "  Does 
she  know?  " 

"  Yes,"  responded  Blake.  "  Belinda — you 
don't  mind  my  calling  her  Belinda  to  you?  "  with 
some  embarrassment. 

"  That's  all  right,  old  chap." 

"  She  was  going  back  to-day,  and  she  wouldn't 
let  me  go  with  her;  said  she  didn't  want  me;  that 
her  grandmother  wouldn't  like  it;  that  it  was  bet- 
ter for  her  to  tell  her  alone." 

"Plucky  child!" 

"  Of  course,  Castleton,"  said  the  younger 
man  earnestly,  "  as  the  world  regards  these 
things  she  is  far  above  me,  but  I've  never  looked 
at  things  just  like  that." 

"  Should  hope  not,"  was  the  comment.  "  The 
question  is,  are  you  in  a  position  to  marry?  " 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Blake,  "  but  I  intend  to  be." 

He  told  him  his  financial  status;  of  his  early 
poverty;  the  Peytonville  property,  and  how  it 


240     The  Way  of  Belinda 

had  been  turned  to  account.  He  spoke  of  his  un- 
willingness to  touch  his  share  of  it  until  he  had 
put  his  brother  through  college;  but  how,  small 
as  it  was,  he  now  regarded  it  as  something  to  fall 
back  on — one  plank  in  the  substantial  platform 
he  meant  to  build  for  Belinda.  Continuing,  he 
said  that  he  wished  for  no  engagement;  he  would 
not  have  Belinda  bound;  but  if  Castleton  and 
Madame  Ronalds  would  trust  him  he  hoped  to 
be  in  a  position  to  ask  her  to  marry  him  in  an- 
other year.  I  shall  never  be  rich,"  he  added, 
"  but  I  believe  in  time  I  can  get  a  moderate  in- 
come out  of  my  earning  capacity." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  do?  "  Castleton 
asked. 

"  Drop  the  Echo  and  go  into  a  publishing 
house.  Take  the  job  I  told  you  this  winter  was 
offered  me.  They  have  never  filled  the  place.  I 
can  have  it  to-morrow." 

"  Good  idea.  But  your  paper — can  you  give 
it  up?  At  last  account,  if  I  recollect,  it  was  as 
the  breath  of  your  nostrils.  Blake,  reporter,  was 
good  enough  for  you." 

"  But  it  isn't  good  enough  for  her,"  replied  the 
man,  stifling  the  keen  consciousness  of  what  it 
would  mean  to  him  to  give  it  up.  "  I  couldn't 
support  her  properly  on  what  I  now  earn,  and 


The  Way  of  Belinda     241 

the  life  is  uncertain  at  best.  I'm  a  fairly  good  re- 
porter, but  I'd  never  make  a  good  editor  if  I  got 
the  chance.  It  is  better  to  break  away  now  and 
make  a  new  beginning.  Thanks  to  you,  I'm 
more  confident  of  some  ability  to  strike  out  in  a 
new  line." 

"  Why  to  me?  " 

"  You  stirred  my  vanity  that  night,  Castleton. 
You've  forgotten  the  talk,  of  course." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  recall  every  word  of  it." 

"  Do  you?  "  looking  boyishly  pleased.  "  You 
urged  my  trying  my  hand  at  something  serious, 
something  I  could  put  my  name  to.  I  went  off 
and  did  it  in  sheer  bravado.  It  will  be  out  next 
month." 

"  What? "  asked  the  other,  intensely  inter- 
ested. 

"  A  story  in  magazine  signed  Jerry 

Blake." 

"  Good !  I  felicitate  you.  Thought  I  knew 
my  man." 

"  While  I  was  writing  it,"  the  young  author 
went  on,  "  so  many  other  stories  came  cropping 
up  in  my  head  that  I  was  dumbfounded.  Believe 
I  could  have  worked  out  a  dozen  if  I'd  kept  go- 
ing, but  perhaps  I  couldn't  have.  Anyway,  I'd 
no  time,  so  " — 


242      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  They'll  come  out.  You  can't  escape  your 
creative  faculty.  It's  stronger  than  you  are,"  re- 
marked the  man,  gratification  evident  in  the  look 
he  gave  Jerry.  "  Like  the  way  you  talk,  Blake; 
it's  sound  common  sense.  Glad  you've  no  fool- 
ish notions  of  cutting  loose  from  everything  and 
setting  up  for  an  author  pure  and  simple.  You'll 
get  there,  old  man,  but  you  want  a  salary  to  feed 
the  machine.  Take  the  job  at  the  publisher's  and 
push  ahead  there,  and  hang  on  to  a  salary  always, 
no  matter  how  successful  in  a  literary  way  you 
may  be.  Do  that,  old  chap,  and  I'll  not  worry 
about  your  earning  capacity." 

"  Castleton,"  said  the  younger  man,  "  have  I 
your  permission  to  go  to  Madame  Ronalds?  " 

"  Yes,  Blake,"  feelingly,  "  you  have.  I've  al- 
ways liked  you.  You're  good  stuff  and  you've 
got  a  future.  I'd  trust  Belinda  to  you.  If  she 
loves  you — and  the  little  minx  declares  she  does 
— I'll  do  what  I  can  to  help  you.  Count  on  me," 
putting  out  his  hand. 

Blake  took  it  in  a  strong  grip.  "  Thanks,  Cas- 
tleton," he  said,  too  much  moved  to  speak  fur- 
ther. 

"  My  aunt,  Madame  Ronalds,  is  no  small  mat- 
ter to  tackle.  You  realize  that,  Blake?  " 

"  Yes." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     243 

"  My  opinion  is  she'll  refuse  to  see  you." 

"  I'm  afraid  of  that." 

"  Think  I'll  drop  in  there  this  afternoon,  and 
see  how  the  wind  blows.  Wish  I  could  take  you 
along,  old  chap,  but  " — an  idea  occurring  to  him 
— "  will  you  come?  "  suddenly  testing  him. 

"  No;  I  shouldn't  care  to  seem  to  be  under 
your  protection." 

This  was  the  answer  Castleton  wanted  to  hear, 
and  mightily  pleased,  he  said :  "  Should  advise 
you  to  wait  until  you  hear  from  Belinda,"  which, 
as  he  so  rarely  gave  advice,  was  a  further  mark 
of  great  favor. 

"  That  was  what  she  said.  If  Madame  Ron- 
alds refuses  to  see  me,  I  shall  write.  You  don't 
think  that  would  be  an  impertinence,  do  you?  " 
anxiously  scanning  the  other's  face.  "  I  must 
present  myself  in  some  form  to  Madame  Ron- 
alds. You  see  that,  don't  you,  Castleton?  " 

"  Perfectly.  You  owe  it  to  Belinda  and  your- 
self." 

When,  stopping  in  at  the  Tyrol  to  inquire  that 
day  for  Belinda,  Leila  found  she  had  returned, 
she  was  more  than  delighted.  Madame  Ronalds 
thinking  she  would  plead  for  Dan,  and  believing 
the  girl's  gossip  more  quickly  than  anything 


244     The  Way  of  Belinda 

would  link  Belinda  to  her  old  life,  urged  her  to 
remain  to  lunch  with  her  granddaughter,  she 
herself  having  an  engagement. 

It  was  not  until  Madame  Ronalds  had  de- 
parted that  Belinda  began  to  talk,  though  Leila 
had  kept  all  the  while  a  steady  chatter. 

Belinda,  with  the  recent  conversation  with 
Esther  fresh  in  her  mind,  was  looking  at  her 
curiously  where  she  sat,  regarding  her  in  a  new 
light.  She  stared  so  intently  that  Leila  moved 
uncomfortably  and  finally  said : 

"  For  pity's  sake,  is  there  anything  the  matter 
with  me,  Belinda?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  girl,  still  preoccupied. 

"  I  believe  there  is,  and  you  won't  tell  me,"  de- 
clared the  irate  Leila,  going  over  to  the  mirror. 
Reassured  by  the  glass,  she  sat  down  again. 

"  What  in  the  world  has  made  you  stay  down 
at  Miss  Lovering's?  "  she  asked.  "  Were  you 
afraid  of  Dan?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Belinda. 

"  I  shouldn't  much  blame  you  if  you  were," 
Leila  admitted.  "  Heavens,  but  he's  in  a  rage. 
Tears  about  like  a  lunatic.  He  says  he'll  make 
you  pay  for  all  this,"  looking  to  see  what  effect 
these  words  had. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     245 

Belinda  shuddered.  "  Don't  talk  about  Dan," 
she  said. 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  talk  about  my  own  brother 
when  you're  breaking  his  heart  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  breaking  his  heart,  I'm  thwarting  his 
will.  It's  a  very  different  thing.  Dan  isn't  in 
love  with  me,  as  you'd  know  perfectly  well  if  you 
had  the  faintest  idea  what  love  is." 

A  slow  flush  crept  into  Leila's  colorless  face, 
and  she  looked  away  from  the  other  girl.  "  Have 
you  seen  Mr.  Westcote  lately?  "  she  suddenly 
said. 

Belinda,  reading  her  thoughts,  decided  to  be 
non-committal. 

"  Rather,"  she  answered  evasively;  "  have 
you?" 

"  No,"  replied  Leila.  "  I  thought  you  might 
have  run  across  him  down  around  the  East  Side 
somewhere,"  glancing  furtively  at  her. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  did,  once  or  twice,  I  remember. 
He  seemed  rather  fond  of  prowling  around." 

"  I  should  think  he  was,"  revelling  in  this  op- 
portunity to  discuss  him.  "  Dan  says  he's  East- 
Side  crazy.  He  told  me  the  other  day  he'd  bet 
two  to  one  there  was  some  girl  attraction  down 
there." 


246      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Of  course  Dan  always  knows !"  derisively, 
but  inwardly  amused. 

"  Of  course  he  does  not,"  sharply  retorted 
Leila,  for  once  acknowledging  his  fallibility; 
"  Mr.  Westcote  isn't  the  sort  of  man  to  flirt  with 
a  girl  of  the  slums." 

"  I  should  think  not,"  agreed  Belinda,  sup- 
pressing a  smile.  "  He  doesn't  impress  me  as  the 
sort  of  man  to  flirt  at  all." 

"  Well,  you  ought  to  know,"  with  disagreeable 
emphasis.  "  You  tried  your  hand  at  him  the 
first  night  you  met  him." 

Formerly  Belinda  would  have  resented  this, 
but  she  now  reminded  herself  that  Leila  couldn't 
help  these  silly  remarks — she  didn't  know  any 
better.  So  she  made  no  reply,  and  presently 
Leila,  forgetting  her  animosity,  said : 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  have  done  anything  to  of- 
fend him,  Belinda?  " 

"  Who?  "  pretending  not  to  understand. 

"  Mr.  Westcote.  Do  you  think  that's  why 
he  doesn't  call  any  more?  " 

"  Doesn't  he?  "  with  raised  eyebrows. 

"  No.  Not  since  that  day  you  were  there," 
reluctantly. 

Belinda,  feeling  really  sorry  for  her,  said 
kindly,  "  I  don't  believe  you  offended  him, 


The  Way  of  Belinda     247 

Leila.  Probably  he  has  been  very  much  oc- 
cupied with  something;"  and  then  remembering 
how  very  true  this  was,  hastened  to  add,  "  Per- 
haps he's  busy  getting  ready  to  go  home.  You 
know  he  said  he  was  going,"  which  wasn't  much 
of  an  improvement. 

"  You  don't  think  he'd  go  without  coming  to 
say  good-by?  "  the  girl  asked  dolorously. 

"  Oh,  no,"  Belinda  avowed  emphatically; 
"  I'm  sure  he  wouldn't  do  that." 

For  a  while  nothing  was  said,  each  girl  intent 
on  her  own  thought.  From  time  to  time,  as  the 
silence  lengthened,  Leila  stole  stealthy  glances  at 
Belinda,  and  several  times  was  on  the  verge  of 
speaking,  but  apparently  changing  her  mind  re- 
lapsed into  abstraction.  As  she  sat  with  drooped 
head,  nervously  twisting  her  handkerchief  in  her 
hands,  her  dejected  mien  distressed  Belinda,  who 
longed  to  comfort  her. 

Leila  looking  up,  and  catching  the  sympathy 
in  the  other's  eyes,  said,  with  a  suspicious  break 
in  her  voice,  "  I'm  ashamed  to  have  talked  about 
him  as  I  did  that  day."  The  next  instant  she  had 
buried  her  face  and  was  sobbing  violently. 

Belinda  did  comfort  then  in  real  earnest.  She 
sprang  to  Leila's  side,  and  putting  one  arm 
round  her  neck,  said  gently :  "  Don't  feel  badly 


248      The  Way  of  Belinda 

about  it,  Leila.  Please,  Leila  dear.  I  knew  you 
didn't  mean  anything." 

"  I  said  I  was  going  to  be  the  future  Countess 
of  Desborough,"  sobbed  the  girl;  "  I  said  worse 
things  than  that.  But,  then,  I  didn't  really  care, 
and  now — now  I  do." 

The  girl,  unaccustomed  to  self-control,  had 
suffered  acutely  in  the  weeks  she  had  hidden  this 
secret,  and  now  with  infinite  relief  opened  her 
heart. 

"  You  love  him,  Leila  dear?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  in  a  smothered  voice;  "  and  I 
don't  care  if  you  do  know  it,"  defiantly. 

"  It  will  come  out  all  right,"  soothed  the  girl, 
knowing  full  well  how  precious  a  thing  is  sym- 
pathy. "  Perhaps  all  the  time  he  cares  for  you." 

"Oh,  do  you  think  so,  really?"  catching  at 
the  straw. 

"  One  never  can  tell,  Leila.  Things  happen  in 
such  a  curious  way,"  her  mind  far  off  in  Riving- 
ton  Street. 

"  If  I  never  saw  him  again  as  long  as  I 
lived,"  fervently,  "I'd  be  glad  I  loved  him; 
I  would,  Belinda,"  not  expecting  to  be  under- 
stood. 

"  And  I  reviled  you  a  while  ago  for  not  know- 
ing what  love  is]" 


The  Way  of  Belinda     249 

"  Yes,"  with  a  tearful  smile,  "  I  almost  told 
you  then."  She  raised  her  head,  and  wiping  her 
eyes,  submitted  to  having  her  face  bathed  with 
cologne,  which  Belinda  had  brought  her. 

"  There,  you  feel  better,  don't  you?  "  solici- 
tously asked  Belinda,  dabbing  on  the  cologne. 

"  Yes,  I  do,  but  I  must  be  a  pretty  object  to 
think  of  going  down  to  lunch." 

"  Oh,  you'll  soon  look  all  right,  if  you  won't 
be  bad  and  go  crying  any  more,"  in  a  bantering 
tone  she  had  never  used  to  Leila.  Then  sud- 
denly remembering  something,  she  said :  "  I 
know  one  thing  for  certain.  Mr.  Westcote  isn't 
going  home  just  yet.  He  is  going  with  cousin 
Ronalds  to  Bermuda  on  the  yacht." 

"  Are  you  sure?    Who  told  you  so?  " 

Belinda  flushed.  "  Perfectly,"  she  replied,  in 
answer  to  the  first  question. 

"  That  is  something,"  thankful  for  this  re- 
prieve. 

"  Leila,"  said  Belinda  after  a  while,  idly  watch- 
ing the  girl  as  she  stood  before  the  mirror,  re- 
arranging her  disordered  hair,  "  can  you  under- 
stand now,"  speaking  slowly,  "  why,  not  loving 
Dan,  I  don't  want  to  marry  him?  " 

"  Yes,"  honestly  admitted  the  new-born  Leila; 
"  I  want  to  be  loyal  to  Dan,  but  I  cannot." 


250      The  Way  of  Belinda 

A  look  of  utter  thankfulness  radiated  Belinda's 
face,  and  her  eyes  filled  suddenly. 

Seeing  this  in  the  mirror,  Leila  turned  swiftly, 
a  comb  poised  in  her  hand. 

"  I  believe,"  she  gasped,  "  I  believe  you're  in 
love  yourself,  Belinda  Leigh !" 

Thus  accused,  Belinda's  pretty  color  deepened, 
and  she  quickly  averted  her  face. 

Leila,  with  sharpened  intuitions,  excitedly 
pounced  upon  her  and  gave  her  a  little  shake. 
"  You  can't  deceive  me,"  she  cried,  "  I  know  it  as 
well  as  if  you'd  told  me !" 

Quoting  her,  Belinda  looked  up  through 
misty  eyes,  and  said,  half  laughing,  "  '  I  don't 
care  if  you  do  know  it !' ' 

"  Heavens !"  ejaculated  Leila  in  a  high,  rasp- 
ing voice,  "  if  I'd  had  any  sense  I'd  have  known 
it  all  along."  And  then,  less  excitedly,  but  with 
equal  volubility,  "  May  I  know?  Will  you  tell 
me,  Belinda?  " 

Caught  unawares,  Belinda  unhesitatingly  told 
her  everything — all  that  concerned  Blake  and 
her.  Deprived  of  Esther,  as  glad  as  Leila  was 
she  to  have  a  confidant.  For  the  girl  who  loves, 
reserved  though  she  be  to  her  friends  at  large, 
will  to  the  chosen  one  talk  freely,  and  find  in  so 
doing  a  happiness  inexpressible. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     251 

"  It's  the  most  romantic  thing  I  ever  knew  in 
all  my  life !"  cried  Leila.  "  To  think  of  your  first 
meeting  him  in  the  slums." 

Half  expecting  her  to  take  offence,  Belinda 
said :  "  Please  don't  call  the  East  Side  the  slums. 
I  wish  you  wouldn't,  if  you  don't  mind.  It 
sounds  so  horrid,  and  nobody  does  who  goes 
down  there." 

"  All  right,"  acquiesced  Leila,  too  interested 
to  be  annoyed.  "  But  what  are  you  going  to  do 
now  that  your  grandmother  refuses  to  receive 
him,  or  even  let  you  write?  I'd  run  away.  I 
think  girls  are  perfectly  justified  in  doing  it  when 
their  parents  act  so.  I'd  do  it,  I  can  tell  you,  and 
I'll  help  you." 

This  generous  offer  was  not  unappreciated  by 
Belinda,  though  she  replied  quietly,  "  I  shan't 
run  away,  Leila,  not " — probing  down  deep  for 
lingering  doubts — "  at  least,  I  don't  think  I  shall. 
I  will  wait  a  while  and  see  what  happens." 

"  How  can  you  be  so  calm  about  it,  Belinda ! 
One  would  think  you  were  an  old  woman  to  hear 
you  talk." 

Belinda  smiled  wistfully.  "  I  have  to  be  calm," 
she  explained,  "  or  I  should  be  desperate.  There 
is  so  much  at  stake,  and  it's  worth  waiting  for," 
her  voice  swelling. 


252      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  Well,  I  should  write  him  anyway,"  cried 
Leila,  who  had  a  predilection  for  mutiny. 

Belinda  shook  her  head.  "  I've  just  written 
Miss  Levering,"  she  said,  "  just  how  it  all  is,  and 
she  will  tell  him." 

She  picked  up  the  letter,  which  she  had  just  fin- 
ished addressing  when  Leila  came,  and  turned  it 
over  speculatively,  wondering  if  she  had  omitted 
anything  she  had  to  say.  "  It's  hard,"  she  con- 
tinued, thinking  how  wretched  the  news  would 
be  to  Jerry,  "  but  when  I  think  of  him,  I  can  bear 
anything." 

"  So  could  I,"  said  the  responsive  Leila,  "  if 
only  Somebody  loved  me." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

"  Remember  that  what  pulls  the  strings  is  the 
force  hidden  within;  there  lies  the  power  to  per- 
suade, there  lies  the  life,  there,  if  one  must  speak 
out,  the  real  man." 

MARCUS  AURELIUS. 

MADAME  RONALDS  lived  by  a  ritual,  casting 
out  those  who  were  not  of  her  belief.  Of  the 
many  symbols  of  this  ritual  none  was  more 
significant  than  the  luncheons  comprised  of  the 
chosen  of  her  set.  With  almost  daily  regularity 
in  one  house  and  then  another  these  luncheons 
took  place,  at  which  assembled  fashion's  leaders 
to  discuss  and  make  laws  inviolate,  in  conclave 
gay.  Important  as  were  these  rites,  there  was 
no  need  to  sit  in  solemn  assemblage,  for  their 
lightest  breath  was  like  unto  the  laws  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians,  and  their  most  inflexible 
beliefs  were  frequently  thrown  out  airily,  a  bubble 
off  the  conversational  froth.  Easily  pricked 
might  have  been  these  bubbles,  had  there  been 
one  not  living  by  their  ritual  there  to  see;  but 
no  such  anomaly  ever  happened.  With  ultra- 


254     The  Way  of  Belinda 

exclusiveness  they  lunched  only  one  another, 
these  weavers  of  the  social  fabric  who  took  them- 
selves so  seriously. 

Dame  Gossip  whipped  the  froth  whence  the 
bubbles  came,  and  all  the  chosen  spirits  lent  a 
hand. 

Madame  Ronalds,  devout  upholder  of  the 
creed,  rarely  failed  to  contribute  her  share  to  the 
brew  from  which  she  extracted  the  very  essence 
of  delight.  She  loved,  not  in  the  world,  but  with 
other  devotees  in  the  seclusion  of  the  sanctuary 
to  dissect  her  friends,  who  were,  likewise,  her 
friends'  friends,  with  a  tongue  so  pointed,  so 
incisive,  so  delicate  that  it  surpassed  all  instru- 
ments. 

But  to-day,  though  a  highly  entertained  lis- 
tener, she  remained  mute — a  role  she  had  never 
been  known  to  play.  The  truth  was,  she  was 
tired.  No  longer  a  young  woman,  she  had  been 
exhausted  by  the  recent  talk  with  Belinda,  so  full 
of  astonishing  revelations.  The  new  phases  the 
situation  opened  up  kept  presenting  themselves 
with  such  ever-recurring  persistency  that  her 
appetite  was  quite  taken  away,  and  she  had  no 
relish  even  for  the  canape  lorenzo,  usually  so 
agreeable  to  her  epicurean  taste. 

So  haunted  was  she  by  her  granddaughter  that 


The  Way  of  Belinda     255 

she  felt  an  imperative  necessity  to  discuss  her 
in  order  to  relieve  her  mind.  But  as  she  never 
touched  on  personal  affairs,  even  in  the  sanctuary, 
when  the  luncheon  was  over  she  drove  from  the 
house  to  the  apartments  of  Ronalds  Castleton. 
She  had  anticipated  him  by  half  an  hour,  for  he 
was  just  starting  out  to  see  her. 

"  Belinda  has  returned,"  she  announced  as  he 
received  her. 

"  Has  she  ?  "  was  his  response. 

"  She  might  better  have  stayed  where  she  was. 
She's  obdurate  about  Dan.  Fancies  herself  in 
love  with  another  man.  It's  preposterous ! " 
loosening  the  feather  boa  round  her  neck  as  if  she 
felt  choked. 

"  Afraid  I  don't  agree  with  you,  Aunt  Maud." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it  ?  "  sharply. 

"  Something.    Blake  has  been  here  to  see  me." 

"  The  impudence  of  the  fellow !  It's  what  one 
might  expect.  What  presumption!  I  knew  he 
wasn't  a  gentleman." 

"  He  is  a  gentleman,"  avowed  Castleton,  "  of 
the  best  sort.  Quite  Belinda's  equal  in  birth  and 
breeding;  and  he  did  what  any  gentleman  would 
— came  to  me,  it  being  impossible,  under  the 
circumstances,  to  go  to  you,  and  laid  the  case 
frankly  before  me." 


256     The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  He  seems  to  have  won  an  advocate  very 
easily,"  sneeringly. 

"  He  has.  I've  known  and  liked  Blake  for 
years.  I  would  prefer  he  had  money,  of  course; 
but  he  has  other  things  as  important." 

"  Why  not  say  more  important  ?  "  sarcastically. 
"  Pretty  sentiments  are  for  rich  men  like  you — 
they  don't  oil  the  machinery  of  a  poor  one."  She 
tapped  her  foot  impatiently,  annoyed  to  find  a 
discordant  element.  "  I  shall  hold  her  to  her 
engagement  to  Dan." 

"  Look  here,  Aunt  Maud,"  roused  out  of  his 
usual  placidity,  "  let  Dan  drop.  It  will  be  a  blow 
to  your  ambition,  I  know,  but  you'll  not  regret  it. 
He's  a  cad  of  the  worst  description,  tied  to  his 
mother's  apron  strings.  Do  you  want  that  infernal 
Denbeigh  woman  buzzing  round  you  the  rest  of 
your  life  ?  " 

Assuredly  she  did  not,  but  she  said  with 
offended  dignity,  "  Your  language  is  rather 
stronger  than  is  necessary,  Ronalds.  I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  let  Dan  drop  nor  why  Be- 
linda should.  It  is  of  no  consequence  that  she 
does  not  love  him.  She's  too  young  to  know 
anything  about  love." 

"  She's  in  love  with  Jerry  Blake." 

"  Mere    infatuation,"    retorted    the    woman. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     257 

"  She  met  him  under  unusual  conditions,  which 
have  cast  a  sort  of  halo  over  him  in  her  eyes.  It 
smacks  of  the  romantic,  and  makes  her  feel  like 
a  girl  in  a  novel.  Her  mother  was  just  the  same 
way.  She'll  get  over  it.  It's  not  to  be  regarded 
seriously." 

"  It  might  be  so  with  some  girls,"  admitted 
Castleton,  "  no  doubt  would  be ;  but  Belinda  is 
no  child  of  that  sort,  and  you've  no  right  to  treat 
her  like  one.  She's  a  sensible,  reasoning  woman, 
old  for  her  years — always  has  been.  She  loves 
this  man;  and  once  loving  him,  she'll  cling  to 
him  through  life  and  death,  like  her  mother 
before  her.  You  may  drag  her  to  the  water,  but 
you  will  never  get  her  to  drink ;  and  if  you  try  to 
force  it  down  her  throat,  you  will  strangle  her 
just  as  surely  as  if  you  tied  a  rope  around  her 
neck  and  strung  her  up." 

"  How  dare  you  presume  to  know  more  about 
Belinda  than  I  do !  "  she  cried  angrily,  yet  ponder- 
ing over  what  he  said. 

"  Far  be  it  from  me  to  presume  anything," 
lightly  returning  to  his  old  manner.  "  Facts  are 
facts.  Belinda's  one,  Blake's  another.  By  the 
way,  it  pleased  your  ladyship  to  be  most  gracious 
to  him  here  one  evening.  If  I  remember,  he  is 
indebted  to  you  for  his  formal  introduction  to 


258     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Belinda.  You  sent  me  to  fetch  her  that  she  might 
meet  the  grandson  of  your  old  friend,  the  judge 
— Peyton,  was  it  not,  of  Peytonville  ?  You  recol- 
lect, Aunt  Maud  ?  "  with  charming  insouciance. 

She  writhed  under  the  words  and  the  mocking 
smile  with  which  he  was  regarding  her. 

"  Blake  asks  nothing  unreasonable,"  went  on 
Castleton ;  "  he  wishes  only  your  consent  to  love 
and  work  for  Belinda.  No  engagement,  nothing 
binding,  but  permission  to  ask  you  for  her  when 
he  is  in  a  position  properly  to  support  her,  which 
he  expects  to  be  at  the  end  of  a  year." 

"  A  pretty  poor  man's  wife  she'd  be !  She 
couldn't  live  without  society.  Imagine  her  drop- 
ping from  her  set ! "  suggested  the  woman,  who 
couldn't  imagine  such  a  thing. 

When  Castleton  took  the  trouble  to  explain  to 
her  that  he  had  never  thought  Belinda  wedded 
to  society,  that  she'd  enjoyed  her  first  plunge,  but 
many  times  during  the  past  season  had  confided 
to  him  that  she  didn't  care  for  it  as  she  used  to, 
and  was  far  happier  when  she  was  with  the  few 
people  she  loved,  or  doing  out-of-door  things,  or 
quietly  at  home  reading,  the  woman  looked  at  him 
as  if  she  thought  he,  too,  had  lost  his  mind,  and 
only  said  in  reply: 

"  It  is  imperative  that  she  marry  Dan." 


The  Way  of  Belinda     259 

"  Are  there  financial  reasons  ?  "  suspiciously. 

"  That  is  my  affair." 

"  I  beg  pardon." 

As  is  common  to  some,  Castleton  had  long 
made  use  of  a  light  and  flippant  manner  to  hide 
a  nature  the  depths  of  which  were  unsuspected 
by  the  world.  Aroused,  these  depths  were  capable 
of  striking  out  at  his  hearer  with  a  poignancy  the 
more  forceful  because  of  the  astonishment  his 
intensity  created.  He  had  not  yet  done  pleading 
for  Belinda. 

"  Look  here,  Aunt  Maud,"  he  began  again,  "  is 
Belinda  to  be  persecuted  ?  Are  you  going  to  stop 
caring  for  her?  " 

"  Not  when  she  listens  to  reason  and  comes  to 
herself  again." 

"  She  is  herself — never  more  so,  never  so  much 
so  as  now.  That  is  what  is  troubling  you.  Fact 
is,  Aunt  Maud,"  imperturbably,  "  you've  never 
loved  Belinda  because  she  was  herself,  but  because 
she  was  your  granddaughter." 

"  What !  "  fairly  shrieked  the  woman. 

Castleton  repeated  it.  "  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
you  don't  like  her  because  she's  herself," 
continued  the  man.  "  If  she  wasn't  your 
granddaughter,  you  wouldn't  care  for  her  at 
all." 


260     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Unaccustomed  to  analysis,  Madame  Ronalds 
gasped  uncomprehending. 

"  I  don't  think  I  have  ever  failed  in  affection 
toward  Belinda,"  she  said  with  dignity. 

"  Of  course  not,"  he  assented,  "  grandmotherly 
affection — the  affection  of  kin." 

"  What  other  sort  would  I  be  apt  to  have  ?  " 
she  asked  angrily.  "  She  is  my  granddaughter, 
is  she  not?  You  talk  senselessly,  Ronalds." 

"  She  is  your  granddaughter,  but  what  you 
don't  realize  is,  she  is  herself,  besides.  It's  herself 
I  want  to  have  you  care  for.  You  don't  really 
know  her  at  all." 

"You  speak  as  if  there  were  a  new  Belinda," 
wrathfully.  "  You  forget  I've  lived  with  her 
twenty  years." 

"  So  there  is  a  new  Belinda,"  he  cried,  eagerly 
catching  at  the  phrase ;  "  new  to  you,  to  her,  too. 
Forces  born  in  the  child  have  been  developing — 
they  were  bound  to  come  out.  She  has  always 
felt  them  herself  without  recognizing  them.  See 
what  her  father  was — ready  to  burn  at  the  stake 
for  an  ideal!  If  he'd  lived  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
he  would  have  died  a  martyr.  You  know  that. 
And  Ethel,  her  mother — didn't  she  die  for  love 
of  him  ?  And  Belinda,  our  Belinda,  their  child !  " 
His  voice  rose  in  an  impassioned  wave,  and  he 


The  Way  of  Belinda     261 

crossed  nearer  to  her  chair.  "  Don't  you  see  she 
can't  help  being  what  she  is  whether  you  like  her 
or  not?" 

She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 

"  Love  her  as  she  is,"  he  said  gently.  "  She 
is  our  Belinda." 

While  this  talk  was  taking  place  Leila  had 
returned  home;  and  running  across  her  father  in 
the  hall,  a  sudden  impulse,  prompted  by  her  newly 
awakened  desire  to  help  Belinda,  caused  her  to 
follow  him  into  the  library,  and  hint  in  a  round- 
about way  which  exasperated  him  that  she  feared 
Dan  was  going  to  make  trouble  for  Belinda. 
Endeavoring  to  pin  her  down  to  facts,  he  discov- 
ered she  had  none,  but  a  vague  apprehension  that 
trouble  was  brewing.  Of  Dan's  conduct  at  this 
time  he  learned  from  her  more  than  he  had 
known  or  than  she  was  conscious  of  telling,  for 
she  meant  to  be  loyal  to  the  brother  whom  she 
had  shielded  all  her  life.  Her  father  gleaned 
from  her  a  pretty  clear  impression  that  Belinda 
was  being  persecuted  all  around,  and  with  the 
promptness  characteristic  of  him  when  action 
was  his  intention,  he  put  on  his  hat  and  went 
straight  to  Madame  Ronalds. 

He  had  never  called  on  her  before.  She  was 
a  woman  whom  he  regarded  with  a  certain  inter- 


262      The  Way  of  Belinda 

est,  but  with  a  suspicion  which  precluded  any 
possibility  of  agreeable  intercourse.  His  blunt, 
honest  nature  recoiled  at  the  suavity  of  this 
woman  of  fashion,  whose  graciousness  seemed 
to  him  the  outer  shell  of  a  nature  not  sound  at 
heart.  Through  the  years  she  had  patronized  his 
family  he  carefully  avoided  her;  and  when  that 
was  not  possible  got  along  with  few  words,  for 
she  had  the  effect  of  greatly  discomposing  him. 
Courtesy  forbade  his  saying  to  her  what  he 
thought,  and  to  thrust  and  parry  was  an  art  he 
had  never  studied;  subterfuge  was  abhorrent  to 
him. 

Now,  however,  he  did  not  feel  ill  at  ease  in  her 
presence.  He  had  something  definite  to  say,  and 
when  he  could  talk  straight  out  from  the  shoulder 
he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  words.  He  told  her  he 
had  come  to  inform  her  that  Belinda's  engage- 
ment to  Dan  should  never  be  renewed  with  his 
consent.  The  boy  was  worthless,  and  he  was 
going  to  send  him  out  on  a  ranch  at  once  to  see 
if  he  could  make  a  man  of  him.  It  was  time  he 
took  him  in  hand.  He  had  heard  of  the  threats 
of  vengeance  on  Belinda,  but  he'd  stop  that  pretty 
quick.  He'd  make  it  his  business  to  see  that  Dan 
didn't  persecute  her.  He  said  it  was  hard  for 
a  man  to  go  back  on  his  own  son,  but  the  boy 


The  Way  of  Belinda     263 

drank,  and  was  no  more  fit  to  marry  than  a  baby. 
Belinda  was  more  of  a  man  than  Dan  was;  too 
good  for  him  altogether.  Madame  Ronalds,  of 
course,  knew  that  Dan  had  not  a  cent  of  his  own ; 
and  he  should  put  him  down  on  a  small  allowance 
until  he  tested  him  on  the  ranch,  and  decided 
what  was  best  to  do  with  him.  He  had  intended 
to  settle  a  suitable  amount  on  him  when  he  mar- 
ried Belinda,  and  give  him  an  income  besides; 
but  now  he  would  not,  were  the  engagement 
renewed,  make  such  provision  for  him.  He  had 
never  thought  Belinda  would  marry  Dan,  and 
was  glad  she'd  made  up  her  mind  in  time.  He 
knew  when  he  saw  her  bring  his  son  home  drunk 
that  day  that  the  end  had  come. 

Madame  Ronalds,  widening  her  eyes,  indicated 
that  she  did  not  quite  comprehend  to  what  this 
last  sentence  had  reference. 

He  explained. 

Her  incredulity  was  evident. 

"  Of  course,  this  is  no  news  to  you,  ma'am," 
said  the  father,  believing  the  incredulity  feigned. 

It  was  news,  but  she  did  not  care  to  admit  it, 
so  said  suavely :  "  Do  you  feel  quite  sure  that  he 
was — intoxicated  that  day  ?  " 

"  Ma'am,  a  man's  drunk  or  he  isn't.  Dan  was 
drunk,"  the  man  replied  bluntly.  "  The  girl's 


264     The  Way  of  Belinda 

kept  her  mouth  shut  about  it — never  told  on  him. 
Doubt  if  Dan  himself  remembers  it,  but  it's  my 
opinion  a  young  girl  wouldn't  soon  forget  it." 

"  No,  I  fancy  not,"  temporizing;  "  yet  Belinda 
is  not  of  a  vindictive  nature,"  she  asserted,  though 
beginning  to  have  doubts  as  to  what  she  knew 
about  Belinda. 

The  object  of  his  visit  accomplished,  Mr.  Den- 
beigh  departed  as  suddenly  as  he  had  come. 

Madame  Ronalds  long  after  his  departure  sat 
wrapt  in  thought. 

Square  pegs  do  not  fit  into  round  holes  easily. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"  Droops  the  heavy-blossomed  bower,  hangs  the 

heavy-fruited  tree, 

Summer   isles    of    Eden    lying    in    dark   purple 
spheres  of  sea." 

TENNYSON. 

FAR  off  in  an  exquisite  azure  sea  lie  the  green 
isles  of  Bermuda.  Like  a  serpent,  the  main 
island  stretches  its  length  in  undulating  curves, 
gracefully  reaching  out  to  encompass  the  harbor 
dotted  with  miniature  islands,  one  for  every  day 
in  the  year. 

In  the  brilliant  sunshine  of  a  March  afternoon 
the  little  whitewashed  town  of  Hamilton  blinked 
sleepily  along  the  water's  edge.  Around  and 
above  it  the  luxuriant  foliage,  through  which 
gleamed  the  white  roofs  of  houses,  formed  a  mass 
of  green  against  the  vivid  blue  of  sky.  Here  and 
there  the  dense  growth  of  cedars  was  broken  by  a 
huge  clump  of  cacti  or  a  tall  palmetto  waving  in 
the  breeze.  The  balmy  air,  laden  with  the  aromatic 
perfume  of  the  pines  and  the  strong  brine  of  the 


266     The  Way  of  Belinda 

sea,  b.lew  in  delicious  fragrance  across  the  bow 
of  the  steam  yacht  Iris  as  she  was  being  piloted 
past  perilous  coral  reefs  and  through  the  narrow 
channel  which  is  the  entrance  to  the  harbor. 

"  Isn't  it  perfectly  entrancing?  "  with  indrawn 
breath  said  Belinda,  leaning  on  the  rail  of  the 
yacht,  to  Westcote  at  her  side.  "  Did  you  ever 
before  see  water  so  transparent  and  such  a  tur- 
quoise blue?  I  long  to  get  my  hand  into  it." 

"  It's  tropical,  I  suppose,"  replied  the  man. 
"  In  Italy  it  is  not  so  extraordinary  as  this.  What 
a  pity  Madame  Ronalds  and  Miss  Denbeigh  are 
missing  it !  Won't  they  get  out  now  that  we're 
in?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  poor  things !"  exclaimed  Belinda. 
"  What  a  wretched  time  they've  had  of  it !  Nana 
says  in  all  her  crossing  to  Europe  she  never  ex- 
perienced anything  so  rough.  I  doubt  if  we'll 
ever  persuade  her  to  return.  But  Leila's  all  right 
now.  She  will  be  on  deck  presently.  Cousin  Ron- 
alds," she  called  to  that  individual,  who  was  idly 
taking  in  the  scene,  "  what  are  those  queer  big 
white  things  on  the  hills?  " 

"  Water  tanks,  possibly,"  replied  the  man,  who 
knew  nothing  whatever  about  it,  but  thought  he 
might  venture  on  that  explanation.  "  If  you're 
going  to  ask  questions,  Belinda,  I'll  bury  you  in 


The  Way  of  Belinda     267 

guide  books  the  moment  we  land,"  he  warned. 
"  They'll  tell  you  all  about  the  absence  of  fresh 
water  on  the  islands  and  the  exact  number  of 
drops  the  natives  catch  when  the  heavens  open." 

"  I  don't  want  to  know,"  laughed  the  girl;  "  I 
hate  guide  books."  She  looked  at  him  affection- 
ately. "  How  you  love  to  pretend  you  don't  like 
to  be  obliging!" 

"  Doesn't  he? "  agreed  Westcote,  who  was 
just  beginning  to  have  some  understanding  of 
the  man. 

The  yacht  glided  on  through  the  blue  water, 
passed  the  hotels,  a  steamer  lying  off  the  dock, 
and  dropped  anchor  opposite  the  little  town  at 
the  head  of  the  harbor. 

"  Fancy  you'd  like  to  get  ashore  and  look  up 
that  young  brother,  eh? "  said  Castleton  to 
Westcote. 

"  Thanks,  yes;  if  it's  convenient." 

"  Perfectly,"  giving  an  order  to  the  captain. 
"  Believe  I'll  go  ashore  with  you." 

The  gig  containing  the  two  men  had  barely 
put  off  when  Leila  poked  her  head  up  the  com- 
panionway  and  asked  in  a  stage  whisper  if  Be- 
linda was  alone.  Being  reassured,  she  emerged 
a  pale  and  dejected-looking  creature. 

"  I  heard  them   talking,"  she   said,  dropping 


268     The  Way  of  Belinda 

into  a  steamer  chair,  "  but  I  wanted  to  be  sure 
they'd  gone.  I  wouldn't  have  them  see  me  like 
this  for  worlds.  Oh,  Belinda,"  with  a  pathos 
that  was  comical,  "  when  you  got  your  cousin  to 
invite  me  to  come,  I  thought  it  was  the  most 
heavenly  thing  in  the  world,  but  now —  " 

"  It  is  heavenly.  Look  at  the  place,  Leila. 
Cheer  up.  You've  had  a  miserably  ill  time,  I 
know,  but  you'll  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two.  You 
know  people  get  over  seasickness  so  quickly 
that  they  forget  it  entirely.  Nana  says  there 
wouldn't  be  much  ocean  travel  if  they  didn't." 

"  Do  I  look  very  dreadful?  "  questioned  Leila 
dolorously. 

"  You  wouldn't  if  you'd  get  a  cheerful  expres- 
sion and  take  off  that  pea-green  blouse,"  was  the 
frank  reply.  "  You're  a  little  yellow,  but  that 
won't  last.  Go  put  on  a  pale  yellow  shirt-waist. 
Got  one?  If  you  haven't,  I'll  lend  you  one.  That 
will  take  the  yellow  out  of  your  face." 

"  Will  it  ?  "  gratefully.  "  I'll  go  down  and  do 
it  as  soon  as  I  drink  the  coffee  Elise  is  going  to 
bring  up  to  me." 

"  Wasn't  cousin  Ronalds  thoughtful  to  bring 
her  along  for  us?  "  said  Belinda,  an  abstracted 
expression  on  her  face. 

She  was  thinking  how  in  far  more  important 


The  Way  of  Belinda     269 

ways  he  had  been  thoughtful  during  the  first 
anguish  of  the  separation  from  the  man  she 
loved,  which  nearly  broke  her  heart.  She  had 
not  seen  Jerry  before  sailing,  nor  since  that  Sun- 
day morning  when  they  parted  at  Miss  "  Lov- 
ing's,"  nor  written  nor  received  a  single  word. 

When  her  grandmother,  two  days  after  her  re- 
turn to  the  Tyrol,  had  informed  her  that  she  was 
considering  this  trip  which  they  were  urged  to 
take  by  Castleton,  Belinda  had  stood  aghast  at 
the  thought  of  putting  an  ocean  between  her  and 
Jerry.  Though  she  did  not  see  him,  it  was 
something  to  feel  that  the  same  city  harbored 
them.  Then  cousin  Ronalds  came  and  told  her 
much  that  comforted;  spoke  freely  of  Blake's  call 
on  him;  made  her  aching  heart  glow  with  his 
praise  of  the  man.  Spoke,  too,  but  less  freely,  of 
his  talk  with  her  grandmother,  who,  he  said, 
must  be  pacified,  and  met  more  than  half  way  if 
she  suggested  any  sort  of  compromise.  Talked 
of  Bermuda,  and  said  she  might  find  a  change 
more  endurable  than  she  imagined.  It  would 
mean  escape  from  Dan  and  social  engagements 
and  something  novel  to  occupy  her  mind.  West- 
cote,  he  thought,  would  be  a  pleasant  companion. 
At  this  Belinda  thought  how  much  Leila  would 
give  for  her  opportunity,  and  this  caused  her  to 


270     The  Way  of  Belinda 

ask  if  he  would  mind  inviting  Leila,  too.  Seeing 
her  show  signs  of  wavering,  he  assented  at  once, 
though  laughingly  reminding  her  that  he  was 
not  overfond  of  the  Denbeighs.  This  she  well 
knew,  and  explained  to  him  that  Leila  under- 
stood about  Dan,  had  been  very  kind  to  her 
lately,  and  that  she'd  be  glad  to  have  a  girl  friend 
with  her.  He  scolded  her  for  considering  an  ex- 
planation to  him  necessary,  and  said  he  would 
be  happy  to  invite  the  giggling  Miss  Denbeigh 
when  she  said  the  word.  The  outcome  of  which 
was  that  when,  that  evening,  her  grandmother 
made  a  final  proposition,  Belinda  listened  quietly 
and  accepted  it  without  argument,  her  heart 
throbbing  rebelliously,  her  mind  dull  with  pain. 

The  sop  thrown  to  her  was  not  calculated  to 
send  her  off  light-heartedly,  but  it  contained  a 
minimum  of  hope. 

Madame  Ronalds  said  this:  That  if  Belinda 
would  go  to  Bermuda  without  seeing  or  com- 
municating with  that  "  objectionable  person  " — 
she  did  not  condescend  to  call  his  name — and 
without  spoken  or  written  intercourse  with  Miss 
Levering,  either  here  or  in  Bermuda,  she  would 
waive  Dan  for  the  present,  and  on  their  return, 
if  Belinda  was  still  of  the  same  mind  and  had  not 
recovered  from  this  idiotic  infatuation,  she  would 


The  Way  of  Belinda     271 

consent  to  hear  it  discussed  and  determine  then 
what  course  she  would  pursue.  In  the  mean- 
time the  girl  was  distinctly  to  understand  that 
the  subject  was  not  to  be  referred  to  in  any  form 
whatever,  and  her  grandmother  would  expect 
from  her  a  cheeful  demeanor  and  a  re-establish- 
ment between  them  of  the  conditions  existing 
before  this  unpleasant  contretemps.  No  other 
basis  of  intercourse  was  tolerable  or  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

Heart  might  dictate  to  Belinda,  but  head 
would  rule. 

They  sailed  on  Saturday  at  the  end  of  the  long- 
est week  the  girl  had  ever  known. 

Blake  hearing  these  things  through  Castleton 
inwardly  raged  that  he  was  begirt  by  circum- 
stances which  debarred  him  from  claiming  the 
girl  of  his  heart.  On  the  morning  of  their  de- 
parture he  longed  at  least  to  send  some  flowers 
down  to  the  yacht  to  her,  but  denied  himself  even 
this,  remembering  he  must  keep  to  the  spirit  as 
well  as  the  letter  of  Madame  Ronalds's  decree. 
Such  satisfaction  as  it  afforded  him  he  got  from 
going  down  to  the  Battery  about  the  time  he 
knew  they  were  to  sail  and  waiting,  eagerly  scan- 
ning the  few  passing  yachts,  until  at  last  the  fleet, 
graceful  Iris  hove  in  sight.  With  straining  eyes 


272      The  Way  of  Belinda 

he  followed  her  down  the  harbor  until  she  was  a 
mere  speck  on  the  horizon. 

When  Leila,  in  a  pale  yellow  shirt-waist,  reap- 
peared on  deck  after  her  talk  with  Belinda  the 
mentor  nodded  approvingly  and  sprang  to  get  a 
chair  for  her  grandmother,  who  was  following 
Leila. 

"  How  excessively  warm  it  is !"  remarked  the 
woman,  fanning  herself.  "  I  told  Ronalds  I 
thought  it  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  come 
here." 

"  It's  delicious  up  here  on  deck,  Nana.  Isn't 
this  an  enchanting  spot?  "  said  Belinda. 

"  Do  curb  your  enthusiasms,"  requested  her 
grandmother,  herself  not  having  any.  "  It's  a 
pretty  place,"  patronizingly,  "  but  scarcely  jus- 
tifies the  rhapsodies  one  hears  about  it." 

"  Why,  how  can  you  tell,  Nana?  We  haven't 
gone  ashore  yet,"  remonstrated  Belinda,  who 
had  not  yet  learned  the  futility  of  arguing  with 
her  grandmother. 

"  I  have  little  interest  in  going  ashore,"  the 
woman  said,  "  and  I  always  form  my  opinions 
immediately,"  with  finality.  "  Where  is  your 
cousin  Ronalds?  " 

"  Gone  ashore  with  Mr.  Westcote,"  replied  the 
girl,  glad  to  have  the  subject  changed.  "  I  was 


The  Way  of  Belinda 

crazy  to  go,  but  wasn't  asked,  and  didn't  quite 
like  to  suggest  it  for  fear  I'd  be  in  the  way.  I  see 
the  gig  coming  back  now,"  shading  her  eyes 
from  the  glare  of  the  sun  as  she  looked  over  the 
water. 

"  They've  some  one  with  them !"  exclaimed 
Leila.  "  Who  do  you  suppose  he  is?  " 

"  Why,  Mr.  Westcote's  brother,  you  goose ! 
What  did  you  think  he  came  down  here  for?  To 
play  with  us?  "  This  struck  nearer  home  than 
she  intended,  and  she  hastened  to  say,  "  He 
hasn't  seen  him  for  several  years,  you  know." 

The  gig  had  reached  the  side  of  the  yacht,  and 
the  men  were  laughing  over  something  as  they 
came  aboard. 

Reggy  Westcote  was  presented  to  the  ladies. 

"  We  picked  him  up  on  the  street.  He'd 
sighted  the  yacht  and  was  bearing  down  on  us," 
explained  Castleton.  "  Found  him  just  as  we 
were  about  to  drive  up  to  Prospect,  the  garri- 
son." 

"  Came  like  an  obedient  child,"  said  Reggy 
with  a  broad  smile.  "  Precious  glad  to  see  you 
get  in.  Been  glued  to  the  end  of  a  telescope  for 
two  days.  You  made  pretty  good  time,  didn't 
you?  Think  I'll  apply  for  leave  of  absence  while 
you  stay.  Would  you  let  me  come  over  here  and 


274     The  Way  of  Belinda 

play?  "  with  an  interrogatory  glance  out  of  his 
dancing  blue  eyes  at  Madame  Ronalds  and  Cas- 
tleton. 

Madame  Ronalds,  at  once  taken  with  his  boy- 
ish gaiety  and  aristocratic  face,  smiled  encour- 
agement. 

"  Madame  Ronalds,  I  beg  that  you  will  not 
encourage  this  young  brother  of  mine,"  said 
Westcote,  catching  something  of  the  manner  of 
the  other;  "  he'll  take  you  at  your  word  and  be- 
come an  awful  bore." 

"  Westcote's  afraid  he'll  have  to  retire  to  the 
background,"  laughed  Castleton.  "  Don't  let  it 
trouble  you,  old  chap.  Aunt  Maud  and  the  girls 
may  desert  you,  but  I'm  still  on  the  deck.  Pretty 
poor  consolation,  eh?  " 

"  Stop  your  banter,  Ronalds,"  said  his  aunt, 
pleasantly,  "  and  pull  up  a  chair  by  me  for  young 
Mr.  Westcote." 

Thus  taken  into  favor,  Reggy  became  an  es- 
tablished member  of  the  party  whenever  he  could 
get  off  duty. 

At  his  earnest  solicitation,  they  visited  the  gar- 
rison the  next  morning  in  time  to  see  the  troop- 
ing of  the  colors,  when  the  girls  thought  Reggy 
looked  very  smart  in  his  uniform  and  his  queer, 
little  pointed  cap,  cocked  on  one  side  of  his  head. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     275 

Westcote  explained  to  them  as  they  drove  up 
to  Prospect,  that  the  West  India  regiment  to 
which  his  brother  was  then  attached  was  colored, 
recruited  in  Jamaica,  but  officered  by  whites, 
many  of  whom  had  been  detailed  to  do  duty  in 
South  Africa. 

The  one  battalion  station  there  was  forming  as 
they  reached  the  parade  ground,  and  the  girls 
looked  with  interest  at  the  big,  powerfully  built 
men,  who  Belinda  thought  must  in  stature  re- 
semble the  guard  which  was  the  pride  of  the 
father  of  Frederick  the  Great.  Their  uniforms 
made  them  look  like  the  chorus  in  opera  bouffe, 
Leila  said.  Madame  Ronalds  admired  the  scar- 
let zouave  jacket  over  a  white  blouse,  the  baggy 
Turkish  trousers,  and  the  picturesque  turban, 
and  regretted  the  fact  that  some  of  the  soldiers  of 
her  own  country  did  not  adopt  a  similar  uniform. 

The  manoeuvres  over,  Reggy  joined  them  on 
the  grass,  where  they  were  standing. 

"  Sorry  we  had  to  keep  the  colors  furled  to- 
day," he  said,  after  greeting  them;  "  have  to 
when  the  wind  is  high  up  here.  But  it  detracts, 
doesn't  it?" 

"  Well,"  exclaimed  Leila,  "  I'm  glad  you  ex- 
plained. I've  been  waiting  to  see  the  colors  ever 
since  they've  been  here.  Is  that  what  was  being 


276     The  Way  of  Belinda 

marched  around,  done  up  in  a  rubber  case  on  a 
great  long  pole?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  disliking  her  disrespectful 
way  of  speaking  of  the  colors. 

"  Heavens !  but  you  must  have  imagination  to 
salute  a  pole  done  up  in  rubber,"  she  said  criti- 
cally. 

He  thought  her  "  so  very  American,"  which  in 
his  vocabulary  meant  gauche. 

Belinda  broke  in  with  praise  of  the  band,  to 
which  he  responded  by  telling  her  that  they  were 
immensely  proud  of  it — it  had  won  the  second 
prize  at  the  Queen's  Jubilee — and  that  they  must 
be  sure  and  come  up  to  some  of  the  concerts  in 
the  Park. 

"  Where  do  you  live?  Are  your  quarters 
near?  "  asked  Madame  Ronalds. 

"  Directly  across  from  you,  madame,"  an 
amused  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  he  watched  the  puz- 
zled glance  she  cast  at  a  row  of  shabby,  low 
frame  buildings  opposite. 

"  He  isn't  chaffing,  Madame  Ronalds,"  the 
brother  of  the  young  officer  said.  "*Most  of  you 
bachelors  live  there,  don't  you,  Reggy?  " 

"  We  do.  They're  the  most  ramshackle  old 
barracks  in  the  realm.  The  sun  and  the  wind  and 
the  rain  have  great  fun  letting  down  on  us.  I'd 


The  Way  of  Belinda     277 

like  to  be  hospitable,  Madame  Ronalds,  and  ask 
you  and  the  young  ladies  over,  but  you'd  be 
moved  to  tears  at  the  inside — anyway,  my 
mother  would,  wouldn't  she,  old  chap?  "  grin- 
ning at  his  brother.  "  Some  day  the  roof'll  fall  in 
on  our  heads,  and  then  Her  Majesty  will  feel 
sorry  for  her  soldier  boys,  and  build  us  new  bar- 
racks, as  she  has  already  for  the  men." 

The  girls,  who  had  only  seen  soldiering  in  its 
picturesqueness  at  West  Point,  were  inclined  to 
commiserate  a  man  forced  to  live  in  such  discom- 
fort, but  he  jeered  at  their  sympathy  and  laugh- 
ingly told  them  that  he  enjoyed  it. 

"  Awfully  sorry  my  monkey  Sammy  isn't  on 
deck  to-day — he's  under  the  weather,  poor 
monk !  Want  you  to  see  him.  Brought  him  up 
from  Jamaica.  Cleverest  chap  you  ever  saw — 
he's  the  pet  of  the  whole  garrison.  I'll  fetch  him 
out  to  the  yacht  next  time  I  come." 

"  Can't  you  come  back  and  lunch  with  us?  " 
asked  Madame  Ronalds,  who  found  him  a  very 
amusing  boy.  "  My  nephew  would,  I  am  sure, 
be  delighted  to  have  you." 

"  Thanks,  awfully,"  he  replied,  his  expressive 
eyes  regretful,  "  but  I  can't — I'm  officer  of  the 
day." 

They  drove  back  to  town  by  a  circuitous  route, 


278     The  Way  of  Belinda 

which  took  them  past  beautiful  country  places, 
and  gave  them  glimpses  of  whitewashed  houses 
nestling  in  bowers  of  flowering  shrubs  and  trees, 
through  avenues  lined  with  oleanders.  This 
exquisite  pink  blossom  on  every  side  so  abundant 
colored  the  whole  country-side.  It  was  as  if, 
scattered  by  a  gentle  wind,  pink  snowflakes  had 
fallen  upon  the  island. 

Over  the  doors  and  porticos  of  some  of  the 
houses  the  gorgeous  borganvellier  made  a  splen- 
did splash  of  purple  against  the  white.  Along 
the  stone  walls  in  many  places,  morning-glories, 
far  larger  and  more  brilliant  than  any  in  the 
States,  ran  riot;  while  out  from  damp  crevices, 
wherever  the  wall  turned  from  the  sun,  the  maid- 
enhair fern  thrust  its  dainty  fronds.  And  the 
fields  of  tall  lilies  all  abloom,  throwing  out  their 
heavy  perfume !  When  Belinda  sniffed  the  air,  her 
grandmother  looked  askance,  and  asked  her  how 
she  could  like  the  excessively  unpleasant  smell  of 
onions.  Belinda  had  never  thought  of  onions, 
but  now  caught  the  odor,  and  observed  as  they 
drove  along  that  fields  of  them  were  as  numerous 
as  the  lilies. 

On  the  homeward  drive  she  was  very  subdued, 
though  missing  none  of  the  beauties  of  the  scene. 
The  gay-plumaged  birds,  which  carol  raptu- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     279 

rously  all  day  long  in  that  enchanting  country, 
flitting  over  her  head,  sang  to  her  of  Jerry.  The 
trees  murmured  of  him.  Flowers  nodding  as  she 
passed  whispered  his  name.  The  whole  joyous, 
fragrant,  smiling  land  called  Jerry — Jerry. 

The  girl  compressed  her  lips,  fearful  lest  the 
name  leap  from  her  heart. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

"  Came  the  Whisper,  came  the  Vision,  came  the 
Power  with  the  Need." 

KIPLING. 

No  one  knew  what  it  cost  Jerry  to  leave  the 
Echo.  He  remained  with  it  only  a  day  after  his 
talk  with  Castleton.  Since  the  wrench  must  be 
made  he  preferred  to  make  it  quickly.  The  last 
day  of  his  work  on  the  paper  did  not  differ  from 
other  days,  except  that  when  he  turned  in  a  story 
about  five  o'clock,  the  city  editor  said  he'd  better 
knock  off  then  and  get  his  bill.  When  he  took  his 
hat  and  coat  down  from  the  peg,  and  knew  he 
was  not  coming  back  to  hang  them  there  a  few 
hours  later,  a  queer  sensation  tugged  at  him,  and 
sent  him  swiftly  down  the  stairs  without  a  back- 
ward glance.  With  the  exception  of  the  city 
editor,  none  of  the  staff  knew  he  was  leaving. 

The  next  morning  he  began  a  new  life.  Most 
of  the  work  awaiting  him  in  the  publishing  house 
with  which  he  was  now  identified  was  office 


The  Way  of  Belinda     281 

work;  and  the  close  confinement,  to  a  man  ac- 
customed to  variety,  and  much  rushing  from  one 
end  of  the  town  to  the  other,  was  irksome, 
though  great  was  his  interest  in  this  new  field. 
Had  it  not  been  for  Belinda  ever  present  in  mind 
and  heart,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  could  have  pulled 
through  the  first  week.  Thought  of  her  checked 
the  impulse  to  dash  out  of  the  new  office  and 
down  to  the  old  one  in  Park  Row.  Once,  long- 
ing, impelled  by  habit,  led  him  late  one  night 
back  to  the  familiar  Row,  where  the  electric 
lights  made  the  place  like  day.  The  nod  of  a 
reporter  passing  and  the  sight  of  one  of  the  Echo 
men  tearing  across  the  square  and  rushing  up  the 
steps  of  his  office,  as  if  he  had  a  "  beat,"  turned 
Jerry  abruptly  from  the  scene,  of  which  he  was  no 
longer  a  part. 

During  the  weeks  that  followed,  each  helped 
to  fit  him  in  his  new  place,  and  when  Belinda  had 
been  a  month  away  he  could  with  honest  satis- 
faction feel  a  grasp  of  what  daily  lay  before  him. 

Outside  the  office,  which  he  left  at  five  o'clock, 
he  now  experienced  the  novelty  of  free  evenings. 
This  time  on  his  hands,  he  plunged  into  creative 
work,  his  mind  conceiving  a  hundred  things; 
some  elusive,  some  taking  definite  shape.  With 
the  inspiration  of  Belinda,  he  worked  late  into  the 


282      The  Way  of  Belinda 

night,  thoughts  outrunning  pen.  But  little  that 
he  did  satisfied  his  taste,  now  grown  superlatively 
critical,  through  ambition  and  impatient  desire 
to  prove  his  worth.  During  this  tentative 
period  much,  unrealized,  was  begun  in  him. 

With  the  days  and  nights  fully  occupied,  little 
time  or  inclination  had  he  to  bemoan  the  present. 
Of  a  confident,  buoyant  nature,  and  trained  in  a 
severe  school  to  get  that  for  which  he  started  out, 
he  was  not  daunted  at  the  thought  of  confronting 
Madame  Ronalds  or  her  world,  and  demanding 
that  which  they  held  high  and  he  loved  most. 
He  had  no  awe  of "  society,"  so  called,  or  dismay 
at  the  difference  between  the  social  positions  of 
Belinda  and  himself.  These  fine  lines,  sharply 
drawn  by  the  elect,  debarring  in  many  instances 
their  superiors  in  point  of  birth  and  breeding, 
amused  him,  and  always  had,  even  back  in  old 
Peytonville,  where  during  his  last  stay  one  of  the 
social  leaders  of  the  town  had  cut  him,  because 
he  was  "  something  or  other  low  on  a  news- 
paper," as  he  later  learned. 

He  knew  his  right  to  qualify  for  a  gentleman 
and  valued  it;  knew  the  worth  of  much  he  had 
scorned  as  an  out-of-elbow  boy  in  Peytonville. 
And  since  he  had  come  to  New  York  to  live  he 
had  never  felt  impoverished.  Why,  he  owned 


The  Way  of  Belinda     283 

the  town !    Wasn't  all  that  was  best  in  it  open  to 
him  and  all  its  citizens  ? 

What  he  did  speculate  upon  with  some  mis- 
givings, as  he  thought  of  Belinda  and  the  future, 
was  whether  she  herself  realized  what  a  different 
life  he  would  have  to  offer  from  that  to  which  she 
had  been  accustomed.  If  he  pushed  on  with  his 
regular  work  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  firm  em- 
ploying him,  they  had  agreed  to  increase  his 
salary  at  the  end  of  six  months  and  again  with 
the  beginning  of  the  new  year.  They  had  long 
had  their  eye  on  Blake,  and  were  likely  to  give 
place  as  fast  as  he  proved  his  ability  to  push  in. 
This  increase  of  salary,  with  the  money  he  might 
earn  from  outside  work,  though  on  that  he  did 
not  dare  build  yet,  ought,  he  thought,  to  put  him 
in  a  position  the  following  year  to  take  a  small 
apartment  and  live  in  a  modest,  comfortable  way. 
But  would  it  be  a  way  calculated  to  please  or 
even  content  Belinda?  If  he  obtained  consent  to 
their  marriage,  had  he  any  right  to  take  her  out 
of  a  gay  world  into  one  of  such  a  modest  mak- 
ing? He  was  a  practical  fellow,  looking  facts 
squarely  in  the  face.  But  recollection  of  what 
the  girl  had  told  him,  and  other  things  of  similar 
nature  Castleton  had  said,  caused  him  to  silence 
these  misgivings.  The  remembrance  of  her  heart 


284     The  Way  of  Belinda 

beating  against  his  sustained  him.  When  the 
number  of  the  magazine  containing  his  story 
which  he  had  spoken  of  to  Castleton  was  issued, 
he  could  not  refrain  from  sending  a  copy  to  that 
individual  in  Bermuda — longing,  if  only  through 
printed  pages,  to  talk  to  the  girl  he  loved. 
And  this  was  Castleton's  acknowledgment : 

"  DEAR  BLAKE  :  Accept  felicitations.  Glad  to 
take  off  my  hat  to  budding  genius.  There  are 
some  who  regard  this  bud  as  a  full-grown  blos- 
som eclipsing  all  others.  This  Some,  however,  is 
not  to  be  considered,  being  of  a  biased  mind.  She 
knows  it  by  heart,  I  verily  believe,  and  fully  ex- 
pected to  see  the  magazine  vanish  after  it  got  in 
her  hands,  but  she  didn't  hide  her  treasure,  not 
she!  She  left  it  about  conspicuously  on  deck, 
where  an  innocent  woman  fell  into  the  snare  and 
inadvertently  came  across  it  while  idly  turning 
the  pages.  Knew  she'd  struck  it  when  she  put 
the  magazine  down,  but  later — here's  news  to 
warm  your  heart!  When  no  one  was  on  deck 
but  me — supposed  to  be  asleep — she  gingerly 
took  it  up  again,  and  I'd  stake  my  life  on  it,  read 
it  to  the  finish. 

"  We  return  in  a  fortnight.    All  well,  and  go- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     285 

ing  something  of  a  pace — the  girls.  They  find 
the  officers  rather  fetching.  Some  naval  chaps 
here,  stationed  at  the  Dock  Yard — rest  off  with 
squadron  on  a  cruise — but  Reggy  Westcote 
tries  to  get  a  monopoly  of  the  girls  for  the  army. 
Great  boy,  Reggy!  He'd  amuse  you.  Believe 
he's  in  love  already  with  Belinda.  In  a  fair  way, 
the  little  minx,  to  have  her  head  turned.  Fancy, 
though,  I'll  bring  her  back  to  you.  There's  a 
look  in  her  eyes,  Blake.  I  know  what  it  means. 
So  would  Aunt  Maud  if  she'd  look. 

"  Yours, 

"  CASTLETON." 

Castleton,  not  being  given  to  letter-writing, 
this  was  the  first  news  Blake  had  received  from 
Bermuda,  and  he  eagerly  devoured  every  word, 
albeit  some  of  it  choked  a  bit  in  the  swallowing. 
It  was  very  comforting  to  hear  about  that  look 
in  Belinda's  eyes.  Ah,  how  well  he  knew  it ! — but 
when  he  thought  of  all  those  gay  young  officers 
flocking  around  her,  he  wanted  to  wipe  the  whole 
British  army  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 

He  took  the  letter  down  to  Rivington  Street 
and  showed  it  to  Miss  Lovering.  She  read  it 
with  an  amused  smile, 


286      The  Way  of  Belinda 

"  How  like  him  it  sounds !"  she  commented. 

"  Yes,"  remarked  Blake.  "  They  seem  to  be 
enjoying  themselves." 

Something  in  his  voice  struck  her  alert  ear. 

"  You  mind — the  officers?  "  she  asked  lightly, 
not  wishing  to  take  it  seriously. 

"  Mind?  "  savagely.  "  Of  course  I  mind.  I 
hate  the  whole  outfit.  I'd  like  to  choke  every 
man  who  talks  to  her — who  has  privileges  denied 
me.  Can't  you  just  see  them  all  hanging  around 
her  ?  I  can,  confound  'em !" 

"  Perhaps  they  don't  all  see  her  just  as  you 
do,"  she  suggested,  greatly  amused. 

"  Do  you  suppose  it's  possible  for  a  man  to 
know  Belinda  and  not  love  her?  "  he  demanded 
impetuously.  "  That  Reggy  Westcote  there — 
he's  only  one  of  them." 

"  You  wouldn't  have  her  doleful,  sitting  around 
in  the  dumps,  would  you?  " 

"  Of  course  I  wouldn't,"  fervently.  "  I'd  have 
her  have  a  rattling  good  time — all  the  fun  with 
the  officers  or  any  other  confounded  men  she 
can,"  contradictorily.  "  But  don't  you  see  how 
I  long  to  be  one  of  them?  "  looking  appealingly 
into  her  kind  eyes. 

"  Of  course  you  do,"  in  a  voice  replete  with 
understanding. 


The  Way  of  Belinda     287 

"  I  miss  her  so !"  he  said.  "  And  when  I  think 
how  far  away  she  is,  and  how  far  away  Madame 
Ronalds  may  still  keep  her  when  they  return,  it 
drives  me  mad.  I  want  to  see  her,  to  talk  to  her, 
to  have  her.  I  must,  I  will !" 

"  Don't  do  anything  rash,"  warned  Esther, 
startled  by  the  look  in  his  face.  "  You'd  be 
sorry." 

"  Do  I  look  very  desperate?  "  he  asked,  with  a 
smile,  reading  her  thoughts. 

"  You  look  very  tired,"  she  said  sympatheti- 
cally. "  Is  your  new  work  taking  it  out  of 
you?" 

"  Not  a  bit,"  straightening  up,  heartily 
ashamed  of  his  outburst;  "I'm  getting  on  fa- 
mously." 

He  at  once  made  inquiry  about  her  work,  and 
then  talked  for  some  time  of  East  Side  matters, 
with  which  he  was  now  out  of  touch.  When  he 
asked  about  Janie,  she  told  him  the  child  was 
slowly  regaining  her  strength;  that  she  had  sent 
her  home  the  week  before,  in  spite  of  a  desire  to 
keep  her;  that  she  had  thought  of  keeping  her  in- 
definitely, taking  her  to  live  with  her,  but  at  the 
first  intimation  of  this  a  howl  of  protest  had  gone 
up  from  Susie,  who  refused  to  be  separated  from 
her  sister.  She  spoke  further  of  Susie,  who,  she 


288     The  Way  of  Belinda 

said,  was  an  uncommon  child,  with  a  deep,  un- 
selfish nature  in  her  lank  little  body,  and  such  a 
born  talent  for  nursing  that  she  was  already 
speculating  over  the  child's  future,  determined,  if 
possible,  to  make  the  years  tend  toward  giving 
her  an  education  that  would  result  in  a  nurse's 
training  school.  She  went  back  to  her  own  girl- 
hood, and  told  him  of  her  longing  for  such  a 
vocation,  and  how,  through  Susie,  she  might  in 
the  years  to  come  see  some  of  her  own  aspira- 
tions satisfied. 

With  his  restless  heart  eased  by  this  pleasant 
hour  with  Miss  Levering,  Blake  went  out  into  a 
night  so  luminous  that  he  looked  up  to  see  the 
moon  shining  high  in  the  heavens,  its  effulgence 
wrapping  the  city  in  mystic  light.  He  walked 
along  to  the  Bowery,  and  instead  of  striking 
across  town  and  up  to  his  lodgings  in  old  Green- 
wich, took  a  Fourth  Avenue  car,  and  by  a  series 
of  transfers  skirted  Central  Park,  which  he 
entered  from  the  west  side,  at  Seventy-second 
Street. 

He  had  an  intense  love  of  the  Park — a  feeling 
of  proprietorship  in  it.  From  the  beginning  of 
his  life  in  New  York  it  had  appealed  to  him 
strongly  as  a  place  where  on  his  off  days  and 
at  odd  times  when  he  was  in  its  vicinity  he 


The  Way  of  Belinda     289 

could  snatch  a  respite  from  the  turmoil  of  the 
town. 

He  loved  it  in  all  its  phases  and  at  all  seasons. 
In  winter  its  spectral  aspect;  in  summer  its  rich 
luxuriance  of  verdure;  in  autumn  its  wealth  of 
color  and  drift  of  swirling  leaves.  But  best  of  all 
he  loved  the  spring,  when  Mother  Nature,  born 
again  a  child,  shyly  peeped  from  earth  and  trees 
and  shrubs.  And  at  all  times  he  preferred  it  when 
without  its  human  element.  For  this  reason  he 
frequented  it  early  in  the  morning,  when  he 
shared  it  with  the  birds,  and  late  at  night,  when 
no  sound  broke  the  stillness. 

The  witchery  of  moonlight  on  the  lakes  and 
trees  was  not  more  fascinating  to  him  than  the 
wet  nights  in  summer,  when  the  dark  green 
foliage  under  electric  lights  glistened  as  though 
touched  by  a  fairy  wand.  Then  the  earth  had  a 
damp,  pungent  smell,  good  to  take  into  one's 
nostrils. 

He  had  many  favorite  places  in  the  Park,  and 
bound  at  a  late  hour  to-night  for  one  of  them, 
left  the  highway  and  struck  across  a  bridge  and 
up  a  narrow,  winding  path,  where  the  rustic  rail 
fence  and  tangle  of  undergrowth  fostered  the 
illusion  that  the  roaring  city  was  far  away.  Out 
of  this  path  and  by  way  of  another  one,  he 


290     The  Way  of  Belinda 

fancied  known  only  to  himself  and  the  Park- 
keepers,  Blake  reached  a  fence,  which  he  climbed, 
dropping  into  the  grass-grown  road  that  skirts 
one  of  the  reservoirs.  This  invasion  of  a  terri- 
tory bristling  with  "  No  trespassing  "  signs  de- 
lighted the  boy  in  him. 

It  was  good  to  feel  the  grass  under  his  feet,  and 
as  he  strolled  along  Belinda  wound  into  his  con- 
sciousness and  the  Park  made  music  to  him. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  The  true  wisdom  is  to  be  always  seasonable, 
and  to  change  with  a  good  grace  in  changing  cir- 
cumstances." 

STEVENSON. 

RONALDS  CASTLETON,  writing  to  Blake  that 
the  girls  were  "  going  a  pace,"  did  not  exagger- 
ate. 

They  made  their  debut  in  Bermuda  society 
through  the  consul's  wife,  a  friend  of  Castleton's, 
who  with  her  husband  had  been  several  years  on 
the  island  and  was  popular  with  the  people.  She 
started  them  on  a  round  of  golf  and  tennis  teas 
among  the  hospitable  Bermudians  and  the  many 
English  there  in  one  official  capacity  or  another. 
Lady  EllswortK,  the  governor's  wife,  entertained 
them  at  Government  House,  and  in  the  absence 
of  her  husband,  the  admiral,  who  was  off  on  a 
short  cruise  with  the  squadron,  Lady  Blakesley,  a 
near  neighbor  of  the  Westcotes  at  home  in  Eng- 
land, did  the  honors  of  the  Admiralty.  Courtesies 


292      The  Way  of  Belinda 

were  returned  by  a  series  of  luncheons  and  din- 
ners on  the  yacht. 

Madame  Ronalds,  who  had  not  anticipated 
these  gaieties,  was  delighted  to  find  here  such 
charming  society.  She  chaperoned  the  girls 
everywhere,  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  army  and 
navy  element,  which,  being  English,  she  ap- 
proved; in  her  own  country  looking  down  on 
both  branches  of  the  Service. 

Belinda's  ready  acquiescence  in  everything 
suggested  pleased  her  and  disposed  her  to  be 
amiable  toward  the  girl,  with  whom  her  relations, 
superficially,  had  never  been  more  agreeable  than 
now.  Much  of  this  was  due  to  Ronalds  Castle- 
ton  in  close  proximity,  to  whom  it  was  impossible 
to  be  other  than  in  a  genial  mood.  He  made  an 
atmosphere. 

He,  too,  was  enjoying  Bermuda,  though  per- 
sonally declining  half  the  invitations  showered  on 
them.  He  liked  to  loll  in  a  big  wicker  chair  on 
the  deck  of  the  yacht  and  watch  across  the  water 
the  lazy  town  blinking  in  the  sun.  At  night, 
when  lights  twinkled  from  the  many  islands  in 
the  harbor,  they  reminded  him  of  a  lot  of  little 
imps  winking  at  him. 

The  storms  which  came  with  such  violence  in 


The  Way  of  Belinda     293 

that  semi-tropical  country  delighted  him,  par- 
ticularly the  wind.  When  on  a  day  of  partial 
sunshine  it  lashed  the  harbor  into  whitecaps  and 
drove  the  water  up  against  the  shores  of  all  the 
islands,  the  spray  rose  high,  tossed  vari-colored 
off  the  waves.  At  such  a  time  the  translucent 
water  changed  to  a  thousand  shades  of  blues, 
violets  and  greens,  the  waves  prismatic  in  the  sun, 
which,  playing  hide-and-seek  through  fleecy, 
cumulous  clouds,  threw  wonderful  shadows 
across  a  shifting  scene.  One  moment  the  dock- 
yard, a  mile  away,  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor, 
would  be  illumined  against  the  sea  deep  indigo; 
the  next,  the  sun  would  vanish,  wind  increase,  a 
squall  come  tearing  up  the  harbor,  and  the  whole 
scene  would  be  shut  out  in  a  deluge  of  rain.  Be- 
fore the  chairs  on  deck  could  be  stacked  the  har- 
bor would  be  smiling  again,  all  the  little  islands 
dimpling  in  the  sun. 

These  sudden  storms  sometimes  played  havoc 
with  the  social  festivities,  so  largely  of  an  out-of- 
door  character.  One  day  when  a  picnic  had  been 
arranged  for  the  Americans  on  the  South  Shore, 
where  the  ocean  washes  over  sand  of  pink  and 
gold,  the  rain  catching  them,  they  took  shelter  in 
the  caves,  so  numerous  all  through  the  great  coral 


294     The  Way  of  Belinda 

cliffs  on  that  side  of  the  island.  One  cave  not 
holding  all  the  party,  Leila  with  Westcote  ran  to 
another  near  by. 

"Do  you  mind  it — the  wet?"  he  said  when 
they  had  scrambled  in  under  cover. 

"No,"  breathlessly. 

"  Our  girls  wouldn't,  they're  used  to  it,  but 
you  American  girls  are  different,"  he  said,  help- 
ing her  to  arrange  herself  on  the  rocks,  for  the 
cave  was  so  low  they  could  not  stand  in  it. 

"  How  are  we  different  ?  "  asked  Leila,  rather 
chagrined,  for  she  flattered  herself  on  having 
been  successfully  patterned  on  the  English 
model. 

But  the  man  said  he  didn't  quite  know  how  to 
explain  the  difference,  unless  it  was  that  it  seemed 
to  him  American  girls,  in  spite  of  athletic  ten- 
dencies, were  more  fragile. 

"  You  wouldn't  call  me  fragile,  would  you  ?  " 
asked  Leila,  who  liked  to  keep  the  conversation 
personal.  * 

"  You  look  it,"  he  said  in  his  serious  way,  "  but 
I  don't  think  I'm  likely  to  believe  it  of  a  girl 
whom  I  saw  make  a  hundred-yard  drive  on.  the 
golf  links  yesterday." 

She  looked  pleased. 

"  I  don't  feel  as  if  I'd  half  known  you  until  we 


The  Way  of  Belinda     295 

came  down  here,  Miss  Denbeigh,"  he  said  pres- 
ently, his  words  following  a  train  of  thought. 

"  People  never  get  to  know  one  another  in  New 
York  in  the  season,"  she  replied,  in  not  a  bad 
imitation  of  Belinda,  whom  she  had  been  study- 
ing. "  We  seem  to  get  on  very  well,"  ventured 
the  old  Leila. 

"  Don't  we,  by  Jove !"  he  said,  as  if  he  had 
found  the  solution  of  something.  "  I  suppose  it  is 
partly  because  you  like  to  ride  some  of  my  hob- 
bies. We  first  hit  it  off  on  East  Side  matters. 
You  took  me  down  there,  do  you  recollect?  " 

Well  she  remembered;  so  did  he,  flushing  at 
the  recollection  that  it  was  she  who  presented 
him  to  Esther. 

"  I've  learned  a  great  deal  since  then,"  she  said 
with  more  earnestness  than  he  realized. 

"  So  have  I,"  he  replied,  looking  out  through 
the  rain  across  the  water.  "I've  learned  a  deal 
and  unlearned  more.  I've  made  a  new  begin- 
ning," bringing  his  eyes  back  to  her  face  with  a 
scrutiny  that  made  her  blush  and  say,  not  know- 
ing how  to  read  him : 

"  I  think  I  hear  the  others  calling.  Shan't  we 
go  to  Madame  Ronalds?  I  think  it  has  nearly 
stopped  raining." 

"  Certainly/'offering  his  hand  to  help  her  rise. 


296      The  Way  of  Belinda 

She  pondered  over  this  talk,  but  did  not  repeat 
it  to  Belinda,  much  as  she  would  have  liked  the 
girl's  interpretation  of  that  "  I've  made  a  new 
beginning."  She  and  Belinda  had  not  discussed 
Westcote  since  they  started  out,  when  Belinda 
had  tried  to  assume  the  manner  of  one  knowing 
nothing.  In  this  way  she  had  gradually  relieved 
Leila  of  the  embarrassment  which  at  first  was 
painfully  evident  to  Belinda  when  she  and  Leila 
and  Westcote  came  together.  Appreciating  Be- 
linda's attitude,  Leila  strove  hard  to  be  less 
self-conscious,  and  being  now  honestly  in  love, 
instinctively  studied  the  object  of  her  affections, 
and  in  so  doing  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  forgot 
herself. 

Looking  on  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye,  Be- 
linda thought  the  affair  was  progressing  favor- 
ably, and  began  to  believe  there  must  be  some 
truth  in  the  story  that  hearts  are  often  caught  on 
the  rebound.  Certainly  there  was  much  in  propin- 
quity. When  Westcote  once  or  twice  had  evinced 
unmistakable  signs  of  jealousy  of  the  officers, 
Belinda  laughed  in  her  sleeve  and  then  wondered 
if,  supposing  she  hadn't  loved  Jerry,  he  would 
have  gone  off  and  got  interested  right  away  in 
some  one  else.  She  didn't  believe  it  and  she 
didn't  Relieve  she  would  have  liked  it  if  he  had, 


The  Way  of  Belinda     297 

and  then  smiled  at  this  illogical  reasoning,  for 
how  could  she  suppose  she  might  not  have  loved 
him  when  she  did! 

It  was  hard  for  the  girl,  these  weeks  of  sus- 
pense and  separation,  during  which  she  was  ex- 
pected to  be  gay  and  light  of  heart,  and  often  it 
seemed  as  if  she  could  not  endure  the  strain  of 
making  herself  agreeable  to  a  lot  of  people  who 
did  not  interest  her.  Reggy  Westcote  was  her 
chosen  companion;  he  and  Sammy,  his  monkey, 
turned  many  an  inward  tear  to  laughter.  Hap- 
pily for  her  laughter  sprang  easily. 

As  Madame  Ronalds  detested  sight-seeing 
quite  as  much  as  her  nephew,  the  girls,  who  were 
never  permitted  to  leave  the  yacht  unchaperoned, 
did  little  of  Bermuda  in  the  tourist  way.  In  driv- 
ing to  the  homes  of  the  people  who  were  enter- 
taining them,  however,  they  saw  much  of  the 
island,  and  Leila,  camera  in  hand,  was  kept  busy 
snap-shotting  a  country  every  turn  and  corner  of 
which  makes  a  picture. 

One  day  Westcote  and  Reggy  lunched  the 
party  at  Belle  Terre,  a  beautiful  terraced  place 
sloping  down  to  the  water  and  famous  for  its 
French  cooking.  There,  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  madame,  the  proprietress,  who 
smiled  benignly  on  them,  they  lunched  in  a  bam- 


298      The  Way  of  Belinda 

boo  arbor  overrun  with  borganvellier.  Pictu- 
resquely dotting  the  terrace  were  similar  arbors 
of  varying  size  and  structure;  some  flower  laden, 
others  topped  with  aviaries  filled  with  tropical 
birds  of  vivid  plumage.  So  Japanese  was  this  deli- 
cate, brilliant,  flowery  framework  that  Belinda 
quite  resented  it  that  the  little  darkey  who  waited 
on  them  was  not  a  geisha  girl. 

But  what  most  interested  Belinda  was  the  ser- 
vice in  the  garrison  church  and  the  band  concert 
afterward,  to  which  Reggy  actually  persuaded 
Madame  Ronalds,  the  Sunday  before  their  return, 
to  take  them.  To  the  girl  there  was  something 
fascinatingly  incongruous  in  the  pomp  and  cere- 
mony of  the  service  in  the  wooden  structure,  re- 
sembling a  long  shed,  which  served  as  church, 
and  never  would  have  been  so  recognized  by  the 
stranger  but  for  the  sign  "  church  "  painted  on 
one  end  to  designate  it. 

The  congregation  was  almost  wholly  of  the 
garrison,  headed  in  the  front  pew  by  the  military 
governor  of  the  islands  in  full  uniform  and  Lady 
Ellsworth ;  back  of  them  the  admiral's  wife,  with 
her  children;  back  of  them  the  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  with  his  family;  then  the  married  offi- 
cers of  lower  rank,  with  their  families ;  and  so  on 
down  the  line  until  the  file  was  reached,  the  crowd 


The  Way  of  Belinda     299 

of  black  soldiers  in  their  gay  regimentals  com- 
pletely filling  the  rear  of  the  edifice.  Grouped  to- 
gether on  one  side,  near  the  front,  were  the 
bachelor  officers,  brilliant  in  their  scarlet  coats  and 
equipments. 

In  the  chancel,  rudely  simple  in  its  appoint- 
ments, a  young  priest  intoned  the  service,  assisted 
when  required  by  picked  members  of  the  band  who 
formed  the  choir.  Through  the  open  windows 
blew  a  soft  summer  breeze,  and  out  in  the 
branches  of  the  cedars  a  gorgeous  cardinal  bird 
added  his  note  to  the  song  of  praise. 

After  service  all  adjourned  to  the  garrison 
park,  where,  on  the  lawn,  the  officers  and  their 
families  received  their  friends,  while  scattered 
about  under  the  trees,  near  the  bandstand,  sat  the 
colored  soldiers.  Here  for  an  hour  or  more  the 
band  played,  and  the  enraptured  Belinda  for  the 
first  time  heard  sung  the  far-famed  "  Absent- 
Minded  Beggar."  The  poem,  which  she  had 
heard  read  in  many  New  York  drawing-rooms 
during  the  past  winter,  took  on  new  significance, 
heard  in  this  British  atmosphere,  where  the  latest 
news  from  South  Africa,  brought  by  the  New 
York  steamers  once  in  five  days,  was  the  all-ab- 
sorbing topic.  To  hear  these  soldiers  voice  Kip- 
ling's eloquence  and  the  music  of  Sullivan  under 


300     The  Way  of  Belinda 

such  circumstances  was  something  long  to  be  re- 
membered. 

The  following  day,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
some  hours  after  the  arrival  of  the  New  York 
steamer,  Reggy  was  seen  being  rowed  out  to  the 
yacht,  wildly  gesticulating  as  he  approached. 

"  I'm  ordered  off !"  he  shouted  across  the  water. 
And  as  he  drew  near :  "  I'm  to  report  at  once — 

ordered  to  join  the in  the  Transvaal !  Leave 

on  the  next  ship — sail  from  New  York.  Isn't  it 
bully  old  luck !"  in  his  rapid,  jerky  but  charming 
voice,  as  he  came  on  deck. 

All  joined  in  congratulations. 

"  When  does  the  Trinidad  go  back  ?  "  asked 
Castleton. 

"  Sails  again  Friday." 

"  Come  with  us,"  said  the  other  man.  "  You'd 
gain  time  and  save  the  ladies  here  from  mal-de- 
mer." 

"  Jove !    You  mean  it?  " 

"  Believe  I  do." 

"Sammy,  too?" 

"  Sammy,  too." 

"  Here's  to  the  Union  Jack  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  forever,"  cried  Reggy,  waving  his  cap. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"  She  gave  him  more  than  she  knew  of;  a  pres- 
ent that  kept  its  heart  beating  into  the  future;  a 
height  of  sky,  a  belief  in  nobility  permanent 
through  manhood  down  to  age." 

MEREDITH. 

NEITHER  the  fascinations  of  Reggy  Westcote 
nor  the  antics  of  Sammy,  the  monkey,  saved  two 
of  the  ladies  from  mal-de-mer  on  the  homeward 
trip  of  the  Iris,  which  proved  far  worse  than  the 
downward  one.  Off  Cape  Hatteras  they  ran  into 
a  severe  gale,  and  lay  to  for  a  day  in  a  rolling 
sea.  During  the  night  the  storm  rose  with  such 
violence  that  the  yacht  quivered  and  groaned  like 
a  living  thing.  Terrified,  Madame  Ronalds 
roused  the  girls,  and  all  three,  dressing,  went  into 
the  cabin,  where  they  found  the  men. 

Castleton,  grave  but  imperturbable  as  ever, 
sought  to  soothe  the  nerves  of  his  aunt,  whose 
fright  reacted  on  the  girls,  each  in  her  way  af- 
fected. Belinda  went  through  the  night  with  set 
face  and  calm  demeanor,  sustained  in  the  most 


302      The  Way  of  Belinda 

awful  moments  by  a  look  at  her  cousin  Ronalds, 
in  whose  continued  reassurance  that  they'd  pull 
through  all  right  she  had  implicit  faith.  Leila, 
alarmed  past  all  self-control,  clung  to  Westcote, 
expecting  every  moment  to  be  her  last.  With  her 
hand  fast  in  his  he  told  her  that  he  loved  her  and 
soothed  her  as  best  he  could.  He  poured  such 
balm  into  her  hungry  heart  that  her  soul  cried 
out  to  God  to  preserve  them  through  that  awful 
night  and  not  wrest  her  from  happiness  so  near. 

The  Iris,  two  days  overdue,  came  steaming  into 
New  York  harbor  at  sunrise  on  May  day. 

Late  that  afternoon,  with  a  flourish  of  trum- 
pets, Mrs.  Denbeigh  announced  the  engagement 
of  her  daughter,  Leila,  to  Mr.  Gerard  Albert 
Edward  Westcote,  the  prospective  earl  of  Des- 
borough. 

The  following  morning,  escorted  by  Castleton, 
the  girls  went  over  to  the  Jersey  shore  to  see 
Reggy  Westcote,  accompanied  at  the  last  moment 
by  his  brother  Gerard,  sail  for  England. 

Sammy  did  not  go.  He  was  left  behind  as  a 
present  to  Castleton,  in  appreciation  of  that  in- 
dividual's many  courtesies  to  Reggy.  Castleton 
kept  the  monkey  awhile  at  his  apartments,  but 
he  became  such  a  nuisance  that  he  offered  him  to 
Leila.  Mrs.  Denbeigh  refusing  to  allow  him  in 


The  Way  of  Belinda     303 

the  house,  Sammy  was  taken  out  by  Castleton's 
man  to  the  Zoo,  in  the  Bronx,  where  he  now 
disports  himself  with  others  of  the  "  banderlog  " 
people. 

They  had  been  at  home  ten  days  before 
Madame  Ronalds  gave  any  indication  of  turning 
her  mind  to  that  which  in  Belinda's  was  upper- 
most. 

These  ten  probatory  days,  when  she  was  denied 
even  the  consolation  of  intercourse  with  Esther, 
were  hardest  of  all  to  the  girl.  To  be  again  in 
the  same  city  with  Jerry,  so  near  and  yet  so  aloof, 
was  torture  so  exquisite  that  at  last  she  drooped 
under  it.  Madame  Ronalds  saw  the  look  in  the 
girl's  eyes ;  knew  what  it  meant.  She  had  seen  it 
in  the  girl's  mother  before  her. 

One  day,  when  she  was  alone  with  her  nephew, 
who  was  constantly  dropping  in  to  bid  Belinda  be 
patient,  she  said : 

"  Do  you  see  this  man  Blake,  Ronalds  ?  " 

"  Frequently." 

There  was  a  pause,  which  he  thought  it  wise 
not  to  break,  and  then  she  continued : 

"  My  business  affairs  are  in  wretched  sHape," 
wearily.  "  I  have  just  come  up  from  my  law- 
yer's. He  thinks  it  possible  to  straighten  them 
out  somewhat  in  time,  but  at  best  it's  dubious— 


304     The  Way  of  Belinda 

they  have  been  bad  so  long.  Belinda  should 
marry  money.  She  owes  it  to  me  to  do  so.  Even 
Reggy  Westcote  would  be  preferable  to  an  im- 
pecunious reporter." 

"  Blake's  not  an  impecunious  reporter,"  quietly 
replied  Castleton ;  "  he's  a  man  with  a  little  prop- 
ierty,  which  he's  now  devoting  to  the  education  of 
his  brother,  and  a  good  earning  capacity,  which 
he's  turning  to  account  in  a  publishing  house." 

"  That  prints  his  stories,  I  suppose,  in  part  pay- 
ment of  a  salary,"  disparagingly.  "  I've  often 
fancied  much  of  the  trash  one  sees  in  the  maga- 
zines got  published  in  some  such  way." 

"  You've  fancied  something  far  from  fact.  All 
first-class  magazines,Aunt  Maud,  pay  good  prices 
for  their  matter.  Blake  has  no  business  connec- 
tion whatever  with  the  publishers  of  the  magazine 
in  which  you  saw  his  story.  I  happen  to  know 
that  he  was  paid  seventy-five  dollars  for  that  par- 
ticular piece  of  work." 

She  looked  impressed,  but  incredulous. 

He  went  on  slowly.  "  If  you're  bothered  about 
money,  Aunt  Maud,  let  me  help  you  out.  Now, 
don't  resent  it.  It's  foolish.  What's  a  man  for 
if  not  to  help  his  womenkind." 

For  the  moment  disarmed,  she  said :  "  I'm 
swamped  in  debt  and — there's  Belinda's  trous- 


The  Way  of  Belinda     305 

seau.  I  gave  carte  blanche  to  the  dressmakers, 
and  half  the  things  are  ordered  in  Paris.  When 
I  suspended  work  until  we  returned  from  Ber- 
muda they  looked  suspicious.  When  I  counter- 
mand the  orders  they  will  be  down  on  me  like  a 
pack  of  wolves."  She  seemed  to  age  before  him 
as  she  talked. 

"  Leave  the  trousseau  to  me,"  he  replied 
quickly.  "  I'll  fix  the  dressmakers." 

"  Mrs.  Denbeigh  might  take  some  of  the  things 
off  my  hands  for  Leila,"  she  said  speculatively. 
"  Leila  is  about  Belinda's  figure,  and  she  is  to  be 
married  at  their  country  place  in  August.  But  I 
don't  think  I  care  to  ask  any  favors  of  Mrs.  Den- 
beigh. I  suppose  " — her  thoughts  diverted  into 
another  channel — "  on  the  strength  of  Leila's 
alliance  with  the  British  aristocracy,  her  mother 
will  attempt  Newport  another  season." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  the  man,  who  took  no  in- 
terest in  the  Denbeighs;  "but  don't  give  your- 
self the  annoyance  of  discussing  trousseaus  with 
that  woman.  Leave  it  to  me.  And  if  money  is 
the  chief  factor  in  the  situation,  let  me  come  to 
the  fore.  I'd  like  the  sensation,"  lightly,  "  of  be- 
ing useful  as  well  as  ornamental." 

"  Ronalds,"  she  said  presently,  when  he  was 
about  to  go,  "  I'm  not  prepared  to  invite  that  man 


306     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Blake  to  my  house — I  have  not  gone  as  far  as 
that.  But  I'd  like  an  opportunity  to  observe  him 
and,  if  you  like,  you  may  invite  him  to  meet  us  at 
your  apartments." 

And  thus  it  came  about  that  after  a  separation 
of  two  months  Belinda  and  Blake  met  in  Ronalds 
Castleton's  studio. 

No  greater  test  of  self-control  could  have  been 
put  upon  them. 

With  his  customary  tact,  Castleton  made  the 
party  large  enough  to  avoid  a  proximity  so  close 
as  to  be  embarrassing,  yet  small  enough  to  give 
his  aunt  an  opportunity  for  the  observation  she 
desired.  An  informal  chafing-dish  supper,  at 
which  Castleton  cooked  the  piece  de  resistance, 
was  preceded,  on  the  part  of  the  guests,  by  some 
impromptu  songs  and  recitations,  and  it  was  dur- 
ing one  of  these  that  Belinda,  who,  with  her 
grandmother,  had  arrived  early,  saw  Blake  enter. 

And  he  saw  her. 

Across  the  room  their  eyes  shot  greeting. 

As  he  stood  by  the  door,  waiting  for  the  girl 
who  was  singing  to  finish,  he  was  conscious  of 
having  lived  through  a  similar  scene  before ;  and, 
stealing  surreptitious  glances  at  Belinda,  recalled 
her  as  he  had  seen  her  that  other  time  in  the 
studio,  when  from  afar  he  had  watched  her  under 


The  Way  of  Belinda     307 

the  spell  of  Vrodi's  weird,  insistent  Hungarian 
strains. 

No  music  had  power  to  cast  a  spell  over  her  to- 
night, and  Belinda  heeded  not  the  song  the  girl 
was  singing.  It  was  drowned  in  the  loud  beating 
of  her  heart,  which  it  seemed  to  her  the  whole 
room  must  hear. 

When  the  singer  finished  and  Blake  crossed 
to  where  she  sat  beside  her  grandmother,  sur- 
rounded by  several  people,  impulsively  she  rose 
and  put  out  her  hand,  her  knees  trembling  under 
her,  her  back  stiffening  in  a  supreme  effort  at  self- 
control. 

In  a  quick  clasp  he  took  her  hand  and  dropped 
it  as  formally  they  said  how  d'ye  do.  She  with 
head  erect  and  eyes  shining  turned  to  her  grand- 
mother and  said  simply,  "  Nana,  this  is  Mr. 
Blake." 

The  man  and  woman  bowed,  and  the  woman, 
indicating  a  vacant  chair,  asked  him  to  sit  down 
and  join  them.  Castleton,  observing,  strolled 
along  and  greeted  Blake  heartily.  Then  he  casu- 
ally suggested  to  Belinda  that  she  cross  the  room 
with  him  to  examine  a  bit  of  tapestry  he  had  just 
picked  up  and  thought  rather  a  good  thing. 

They  went  off,  leaving  Blake,  with  no  irresolu- 
tion in  his  manner,  talking  to  Madame  Ronalds 


308     The  Way  of  Belinda 

with  that  simple  directness  so  charming  in  him. 
When  Castleton  brought  her  back  to  her  grand- 
mother that  uncertain  individual  was  in  pleasant 
impersonal  conversation  with  him. 

Later  in  the  evening,  Castleton  so  arranged  it 
that  Belinda  should  be  allowed  to  talk  with  Blake 
alone. 

In  a  corner  of  the  room,  with  others  close  about 
them,  Jerry  told  Belinda  that  which  most  she 
longed  to  hear:  that  Madame  Ronalds,  passing 
him  a  few  moments  before,  had  stopped  and  given 
him  permission  to  call. 

Raised  to  rapture  by  this  entering  wedge,  in 
voices  low,  eyes  saying  all  that  tongue  could  not, 
they  talked  of  the  long  weeks  of  separation. 
Eagerly  she  listened  as  he  touched  swiftly  on 
Miss  Levering,  "  Lady  Redbreast,"  his  work — 
on  the  completion  of  another  story.  At  this  she 
broke  into  praise  of  the  one  she  had  read,  which 
she  thought  clever  beyond  the  writing  of  all 
others.  But  he,  half  smiling,  shook  his  head,  and 
then  in  lowered  voice  said  that  with  such  inspira- 
tion there  was  nothing  great  he  could  not  try  to 
do. 

Then  she  told  him  of  Bermuda,  the  gaieties, 
the  officers,  to  whom  she  had  to  be  nice,  while 
longing  to  go  off  alone  to  think  of  him.  Dwelt 


The  Way  of  Belinda     309 

on  the  beauty  of  the  place,  its  unending  variety 
and  charm,  and  how  all  the  while  she  had 
thought  what  an  ideal  spot  it  would  be  to  be 
happy  in. 

"  For  a  honeymoon,  Belinda  ?  "  he  whispered. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  softly  said,  with  a  bewitching 
blush  and  downward  glance. 

Then  they  talked  briefly  of  the  future,  which 
in  rapid  sentences  he  sketched,  and  playfully  he 
warned  her,  with  an  outward  glance  about  the 
room,  that  the  life  to  which  he  was  leading  her 
was  not  like  this.  She  nodded,  and  with  a  sig- 
nificant gesture  half  turned  her  back  upon  the 
room  as  she  told  him,  eyes  and  lips,  that  his  way 
was  hers. 

"  Ever  since  I've  been  grown,"  she  said  ear- 
nestly, "  I  have  wanted  to  do  something,  be  some- 
thing. Don't  you  see,  Jerry  dear,"  she  murmured 
softly,  "  you're  giving  me  a  vocation  ?  " 

"  I  ? "  he  asked,  his  gray  eyes  puzzled,  his 
thought  for  once  lagging. 

"  I'm  going  to  be  your  helpmate,  dear,  as  well 
as  inspiration,"  she  whispered,  bending  nearer. 
"  While  you  work  I  shall  work,  too,  studying  to 
know  how  best  to  help  you.  Who  knows," 
lightly,  with  swift  change  of  manner,  "  but 
what  I  may  get  clever,  too  ?  You'd  better  beware, 


310     The  Way  of  Belinda 

Jerry,"  she  warned  playfully;  "I  may  out-dis- 
tance you !" 

"  You  shall  always  walk  first,  sweetheart,"  his 
whole  being  vibrating  to  the  chords  she  touched. 

"  No,"  in  a  tremulous  whisper;  "  I  shall  follow 
you." 

For  Belinda  was  one  who,  in  the  full  perfection 
of  her  womanhood,  would  be  content  to  reign,  not 
rule. 


MAR  o  4 1991 


2  WKS 

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RECEIVED 


A    000  702  844    2 


I] 


